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.