Barrett Wheeler scores four touchdowns as Pirates ground Eagles

Perryville running back Barrett Wheeler runs through Grandview defenders on Friday, Sept. 26, in Perryville, Mo.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Harsh winds and heavy rain plagued Perryville throughout the day.

While it was nothing the Pirates couldn’t handle, it was not suitable conditions for the Eagles.

Perryville junior running back Barrett Wheeler played through both the rain and through pain to score four touchdowns to lead the Pirates to a 32-0 win over the Grandview Eagles on Friday, Sept. 26, in Perryville, Mo.

Wheeler now has 10 rushing touchdowns halfway through the 2024 season. He scored seven times all of last year.

Wheeler said last year’s squad wasn’t built for games like this one, but they are now.

“I think the big thing we lacked with us being so young was physicality. So the main thing this off-season was just being the most physical team that we could be, and out-physical every team we played on our schedule, and that's what we did,” Wheeler said. “We were stronger, we were tougher, and we were more physical.”

In windy conditions not suitable for the passing game, the Pirates repeatedly handed the ball off to Wheeler and rode him to the end zone during a dominating 26-point second-quarter onslaught.

“It's nice that my coach trusts me as much as he does,” Wheeler said. “We started off a little bit shaky last year and freshman year, and we've grown a lot of trust in each other.”

Perryville quarterback Kayd Lucky broke off a 20-yard run to close out a scoreless first quarter. The Pirates capped off that scoring drive with Wheeler’s first score of the game.

A 6-0 Pirate lead quickly became a 12-0 lead after an errant snap from the Grandview center on the ensuing drive was recovered in the end zone by Dominic Sieler for a Perryville touchdown.

Luckey didn’t throw many passes during the game but when he did, it kept the drives alive. After a key pass to Chase Richardet — who entered the game leading the area in receiving yards — on fourth and eight, the Pirates rode Wheeler the rest of the way, scoring on a six-yard run to put Perryville up 20-0.

Wheeler’s third and fourth touchdown of the game came on the Pirate’s last offensive drive of the first half and first drive of the second half.

The Pirates have matched their win total from the previous season, improving to 4-1 with four games to go in the regular season. It was also Perryville’s last Friday home game of the season, as the Pirates will travel to Jefferson next week and then Alton, Illinois to face Marquette Catholic on Oct. 11.

“Next week we'll be at big testament to who we are as a team,” Wheeler said. “I think we can play four quarters [at Jefferson], I can see us making it a good run for a district championship this year.”

Their next home game will be a Saturday homecoming matinee against Herculaneum on Oct. 19, followed by a road contest at Cuba to close out the season.

“We can't lose focus,” Wheeler said. “Last year, we lost a lot of focus throughout the rest of the season. We got to keep getting better.“