By MATT KING AND JASON VIOX/Daily Journal Sports Writers

Published: Monday, September 05, 2005
Updated: Saturday, September 3, 2005 11:21 PM CDT

POTOSI - Year two of the Matt Haug era at Potosi began in similar fashion to the first. The Trojans had their way with Lutheran South in the first half at home on Friday, and coasted to a dominant 44-6 win.

Senior tailback Brandon Casey exploded for 241 rushing yards in the first half alone, including two dynamic touchdown runs of 94 and 53 yards. He also recorded a safety defensively before sitting out the second half.

Potosi capped its opening drive with a touchdown pass from Earl Haug to Chris Harl, and visited the end zone four more times to build a 37-0 lead at the half. Haug completed 5-10 passes for 84 yards in the victory.

Dominic Lemons and Kurtis Davis each added a rushing touchdown, and Collin Gillam led the Trojan defense with eight tackles.

Potosi (1-0) will host Pacific on Friday.

Oakville 31, North County 6

ST. LOUIS - The North County Raiders entered Friday's game at Oakville ranked No. 3 in Class 4, but gave up several big plays in a surprising 31-6 loss to the Tigers. North County entered the contest at a disadvantage following a pre-game suspension of four players.

Oakville scored first on a one-yard touchdown run with 9:53 left in the first quarter and made the extra point for a 7-0 lead. North County's Nick Neeley quickly ran back the following kickoff for an 80-yard touchdown, but the extra point was missed.

Oakville scored another touchdown with 3:12 left in the half and ran a 75-yard punt back for another score with 1:57 left in the half. Oakville also had a 59-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a field goal in the final frame.

Neeley carried the ball nine times for 21 yards and freshman quarterback Derek Gibson completed six out of 22 passes for 70 yards as the offense was shut out. Phil Schunks had 12 tackles for the Raiders.

North County (0-1) will play its first home game on Friday against New Madrid, which lost in week one to Farmington.

Ste. Genevieve 12, Dexter 7

DEXTER - The Ste. Genevieve football team avenged an opening-night loss from last season in a defensive struggle on Friday night, overcoming a late setback with a huge offensive play moments later for 12-7 victory at Dexter.

The Dragons (1-0) needed less than 90 seconds to assume their first lead of the night. Quarterback Tanner Wolk capped the opening drive with a 7-yard sprint after breaking loose on a 37-yard run earlier in the possession. The two-point conversion failed, and the 6-0 remained until the fourth quarter.

Dexter instantly turned the tide when Drew Pixley returned an interception 68 yards for a pivotal touchdown with 8:47 remaining, and the extra point gave the Bearcats a 7-6 edge.

Ste. Genevieve would answer in equally dramatic fashion just two offensive plays later, when Taylor Huck hit the corner along the right side and raced 75 yards down the sideline for the decisive touchdown. Huck rushed for 114 yards to lead the Ste. Genevieve attack, while Wolk ran for 66 yards and passed for 73.

Another failed two-point conversion nearly cost the Dragons, but they managed to hold on in the waning moments when a Dexter receiver dropped a potential touchdown pass in the end zone on a fourth-down play.

The Ste. Genevieve defense finished the night unscored upon, as Garrett Ditch led the team with 10 tackles, and Brad Schweigert made nine. Kellen Stolzer was a force at the line of scrimmage with three sacks.

Chester 32, Fredericktown 26 (OT)

CHESTER, IL - The Fredericktown football team was not able to leave Illinois with a season-opening win on Friday night, but still managed to prove itself as a substantially improved club.

The Blackcats erased a 12-point deficit on the road with a pair of second-half touchdowns to force overtime, but struggled throughout their extra possession as Chester held on for a 32-26 triumph.

Fredericktown (0-1) struck first from four yards out when quarterback Wesley Sharp found Chase Dunham on a rollout pass, but the Yellow Jackets answered with two scores in the final seven minutes of the opening to take a 14-7 lead.

A lapse in special teams burned the Blackcats when Chester returned the opening kickoff of the second half 91 yards to the end zone, but Sharp responded with a 6-yard run to make it 20-14. The home team created more breathing room for itself with a touchdown pass in the third quarter, but Fredericktown quickly reversed the momentum.

Kevin Sawyer returned the ensuing kick all the way back with an exciting 86-yard sprint, but an excessive celebration penalty ruined an extra-point opportunity, leaving the score at 26-20.

The comeback was completed when David Penwell tied the game on an 8-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, but a missed extra point would come back to hurt the Blackcats, who had the ball deep in Chester territory as regulation ended.

The Yellow Jackets started overtime with a quick rushing touchdown, but failed on the two-point conversion. Sharp was sacked for a big loss on the ensuing drive, and a last-chance pass to the end zone fell short.

Fredericktown will be tested against a dangerous opponent on Friday, when they travel to De Soto.