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PrintMARYLAND HEIGHTS — Pattonville’s public address announcer tried it all. Begging the crowd to raise different arms during a play, cheer for a third down stop or stand during the kickoff, but nothing worked.
In the end, Hickman coach Greg Nesbitt was the only person able to stop the Blake Tekotte-to-Scottie Guthrie combination. They paired up for three touchdowns before Nesbitt pulled Tekotte late in the third quarter in favor of Nick Steponovich and an attempt to establish a running game.
The Kewpies opened their season with a 35-7 victory against the Pattonville Pirates on Friday night at Pattonville Stadium.
Hickman (1-0), led by Tekotte at quarterback, Guthrie at tight end and a solid defense, deflated Pattonville (0-1) with an early air attack. After Cedric Alvis’ interception, the Kewpies had excellent field position on their 48. From there, Tekotte hit a wide-open Guthrie, who ran 20 yards for a touchdown at 6:50 of the first quarter.
“It’s the hardest ball in the world to catch,” Guthrie said. “Nobody’s on you and if you drop it you’re like ‘Oh no.’ So, just catch it first and then run.”
Guthrie soon became Tekotte’s favorite target. They hooked up for a 16-yard touchdown pass to start the second quarter. Again, Guthrie became open in the end zone.
“I know that I’m not blessed with an incredible amount of speed,” Guthrie said. “But I know I can find those seams, and Tekotte laid it in my hands and it is my job to score.”
After a Kyle Nuelle fumble return for a touchdown at 9:34 of the second quarter, the Kewpies led 21-0. The Kewpies kept pushing for a bigger advantage. It came from a familiar source. Tekotte again connected with Guthrie for a 35-yard touchdown on a fourth down play as time expired in the first half.
“Guthrie is a playmaker,” Tekotte said. “He runs his routes real good and the protection up front gave me a lot of time.”
Guthrie, 6 feet 2, 220 pounds, finished with three catches for 103 yards and three touchdowns.
Although Pattonville’s players and coaches were not prepared for the passing attack, Tekotte, who finished 12-for-21 for 178 yards and three passing touchdowns, said he expected to have a big game passing.
“We knew that they didn’t know what we were running, so we caught them off guard a little bit,” Tekotte said.
Nesbitt, whose team operates from a spread offense, hopes to add a running game to its potent passing attack.
Running back Brandon Kendrick scored for Hickman on a 3-yard run at 5:07 of the third quarter to cap a 62-yard drive that lasted 6:53.
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