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De Soto High football coach Russ Schmidt has seen it all and done it all in his 35-plus seasons on the sidelines in Jefferson County.

Yet the old-school, grizzled veteran was rendered speechless late Friday night.

Schmidt had just guided his team to a landmark 26-21 win at Hillsboro, the Dragons' first victory in that ultra-tough venue in 17 years.

When the Dragons bus made the 11-mile trip back home after the contest, Schmidt was stunned as the team reached the school parking lot.

The 60-year-old stared in awe as he spied hundreds of cars honking and flashing their lights to celebrate the team's return. Fans jumped out of their vehicles, waved towels and ran up to hug their conquering heroes.

"It was like the whole town was there," said senior two-way starter Eli Thebeau, who rushed for 135 yards on 25 carries in the contest.

The outpouring of love and support brought the normally stoic Schmidt to tears.

"I got choked up," Schmidt said.

"The bus driver looked at me and said, 'Are you OK?' I said, 'No, this is so amazing. I can't come up with words.' "

Schmidt gave a heart signal with his hands toward the throng in appreciation.

"It was like a mic-drop moment," Schmidt said.

The huge triumph was a long time in coming.聽De Soto's last win in Hillsboro prior to Friday was a 48-20 victory on Sept. 26, 2008.

Hillsboro, which finished second in the state in Class 4 two seasons ago, had owned De Soto, winning the previous six games in the annual Mississippi Area Football Conference contest. That included wins of 47-0, 79-0 and 42-0 for the Hawks from 2021 to 2023.

The Hawks had won 17 of their previous 18 games between the rivals.

But on this night, the up-and-coming Dragons were not to be denied.

"I told the officials before the game that we were going to win this one," Schmidt said. "I don't ever remember doing that before.

"But I was that confident."

So were the De Soto players.

"We came into it knowing we could do big things," Thebeau said. "And we made big things happen. It was such a sweet and enjoyable moment."

Thebeau served as the offensive workhorse. He ran for a third quarter score to put the Dragons (4-3 overall, 2-2 conference) up 20-10. De Soto bolted out to a 14-0 lead behind a second quarter TD run by sophomore quarterback Cannon Kisner.

Hillsboro (4-3, 2-2) made a second-half charge, but De Soto sealed the win with a late interception.

The triumph was particularly gratifying to Thebeau, a four-year starter who suffered through the 79-0 pasting on Oct. 7, 2022.

"It was very humiliating," Thebau recalled of that loss. "It ruined the whole team spirit. Nobody had any want or will to do anything for the rest of the year."

Schmidt, who has had long coaching stints at Hillsboro and Festus, is in his third season at the helm. His dedication and ability to motivate brought the team closer together.

After posting a 1-9 record in his first season, he gradually infused the program with a new, winning attitude.

The Dragons were 5-5 last season.

Now, they have won three games in a row for the first time since capturing four straight from Sept. 13-Oct. 4, 2019.

Plus, they have the ability to host a district playoff game for what could be the first time in school history.

Schmidt brought in the motto "Dragon State of Mind," reflected by on a sticker on the players' helmets. It is more than just a mantra. It is ingrained in the players' attitudes.

"He's turned the whole culture around here," Thebeau said. "Without him, I don't think we'd be doing this."

Kisner ran for 158 yards and hit on two of four passes for 50 yards in the win. He picked off the pass that sealed the victory.

Now that De Soto has recorded one of the biggest triumphs in school history, Thebeau is determined to keep the good times rolling. The shine from the victory would diminish if this group does not finish strong.

The Dragons host Potosi (3-4) on Friday before closing the regular season Oct. 24 at Herculaneum (4-3).

"We can't go in thinking we can whip up on everybody just because of this win," Thebeau said. "That's how teams get beat. We have to go into each week doing what we do best, which right now, is playing our best."

Fantastic finish

North Point senior Ty'Ron Williams returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown on the last play of the game Friday to give the Grizzlies a dramatic 27-21 win at Washington.

Williams picked off the pass at the goal line and rolled down the left sideline for a score as the horn went off.

It capped off an amazing performance for Williams, who also caught nine passes for 177 yards. Plus, he rushed three times for 106 yards.

North Point (6-1 overall, 3-1 conference) moved to within one game of Fort Zumwalt North (6-1, 4-0) in the GAC Central race.

The teams meet Friday at Fort Zumwalt North.

John Burroughs picking up steam

John Burroughs junior quarterback Jack Donnelly had the Bombers offense humming down the stretch Saturday afternoon.

Donnelly hit senior Spencer King on a 59-yard scoring strike with just 2 minutes and 23 seconds left to beat rival Westminster 10-3 in a Metro League game at Westminster.

"I think it's going to end up being a turning point in this season," said Donnelly, who hit on nine of 15 passes for 124 yards. "Going into the second half the season things are rolling our way."

Unfortunately, the Bombers might not have a second half to the regular season.

John Burroughs (4-4) already聽has picked up a forfeit win over Roosevelt this upcoming weekend. Roosevelt canceled the remainder of its campaign Sept. 29 due to a lack of healthy players.

The Bombers' Week 9 opponent, Confluence Academy (0-7), forfeited its Week 7 game against Gateway STEM on Saturday afternoon. Confluence also forfeited against Portageville on Sept. 12.

Confluence will try to play its final two contests, according to athletics director Angela Prebianca.

The Bombers are going to be prepared for both scenarios.

"We're just going to have to stay sharp mentally and keep on top of things, making sure we string a lot of good practices together," Donnelly said.

The Bombers beat Priory 41-6 on Oct. 4 and have won three of their last four on-field contests.

"Right now we have confidence on our side and our morale is really high," Donnelly said.聽

The Bombers went 9-3 last season and reached the Class 3 District 4 final before losing to Lift for Life, which went on to reach the state semifinals.

Grid bits

鈥� Cahokia captured its second consecutive South Seven conference championship with a 40-8 home victory against Centralia.

Nigel Gooden passed for 177 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 66 yards and another score for Cahokia (6-1 overall, 4-0 South Seven), which has won 11 consecutive league games dating to the 2023 season.

Malik Mazyun led the defensive effort with 20 total tackles and one sack, and Machai Henderson rushed for 103 yards, two touchdowns and three two-point conversions.

鈥⒙燝randview knocked off Jefferson 33-30 on Friday to post its first triumph over the Festus-based school.

The Eagles had lost their previous 12 games in the series, but they used a strong ground game to snap the streak.

Senior Isaac Walker ran for 162 yards to power a rushing attack that amassed 326 yards on 44 carries.

Grandview, located in Hillsboro, improved to 5-2 and stamped itself as a serious postseason threat in Class 1. It is on the way to its first winning season since going 7-4 in 2021.

鈥� Fort Zumwalt West pulled into a three-way tie atop the with a 21-7 home victory against Troy Buchanan.

Zumwalt West (4-3 overall, 3-1 GAC South), Troy (5-2, 3-1) and Francis Howell (4-3, 3-1) all can earn a share of the league crown with a win Friday.

Clayton O'Bryan completed 20 of 29 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns聽鈥� one each to Garrick Dixon and Jaden Joyce聽as the Jaguars snapped a six-game losing streak to the Trojans, including regular season and district games in both 2021 and 2023.

Zumwalt West last won a league title in 2017, when it captured the crown outright.