The Greatest Game Ever?

By Steve Stranghoener

I’ve been following Suburban North Conference sports for a long time, even before I had a chance to participate myself as a Hazelwood Hawk back in the early 1970s. Someone asked me recently what I thought was the greatest single game of all time. Under furrowed brow, I massaged my chin as my brain engaged and lurched through a process of elimination. So many sports to choose from! How about those great Ritenour baseball teams; perhaps a game featuring Jerry Reuss who later played for the Cards? Or how could I overlook the Huskie’s grapplers with that amazing string of state wrestling championships back in the day? Why not basketball, track & field, volleyball, hockey or cross country? Well, I thought, football is my favorite sport so let’s start there. 

Next I had to zero in on one local school. McCluer won two state titles under Steve Pisarkiewicz before he left for Mizzou and was later drafted in the first round by the St. Louis Football Cardinals. St. Charles High, a former SNC member, terrorized opponents with running back extraordinaire Curtis Brown who also went on to Mizzou before replacing infamous NFL legend OJ Simpson in Buffalo. Hazelwood Central won it all in 1985 with one of the best players ever to come out of this area, Tony Van Zant. As the Parade All-America Player of the Year this galloping gazelle was destined to boost Mizzou’s sagging fortunes before his ill-fated knee injury in his final high school all-star game. Has anyone had more success than Coach Rick Gorzynski at Hazelwood East in developing players for NCAA Division I and NFL careers? Selfishly, I wanted to peg my Hazelwood team’s 1972 trip to the state championship against Kansas City Southwest. We still own the distinction of the only state championship game to end in a tie. And a young Rick Gorzynski was an assistant coach on that team. Nah, come to think of it, that was one of the most depressing games of all times. To come that far, for the first time in school history, and have to settle for a tie because of the horrendously sloppy field conditions at Washington University’s Francis Field still leaves a sour taste in our Hawk beaks. It would not be fair to single out one school on the basis of accomplishments, statistics, excitement or sheer entertainment value. These things are all open to debate among reasonable people so I’ll just have to go with my heart. 

Although I was a Hawk through and through, I have adopted Pattonville since all my kids attended there. You’d be right in branding me as biased but at least I’m honest about it … my heart bleeds Pirate green. Whew … with that settled we still have quite a task ahead. PHS has a rich gridiron tradition, especially under legendary Coach Don Greco who grew up in the SNC patrolling the trenches at Riverview Gardens before starring at Western Illinois and carving out a stellar NFL career clearing the way for Billy Sims with the Detroit Lions. Under Coach Greco, the Pirates had many memorable seasons, outstanding records, conference championships and a long string of playoff appearances. They pulled off some stunning upsets along the way too against powerhouse teams. But one season stands out for the simple reason that it was the only time in Pattonville’s storied past that they made it all the way to the state finals in 2000. Are you ready to move on? Well, not so fast! We still need the winnowing fork. Unfortunately, PHS lost in the final to a very talented Rockhurst team led by freshman phenomenon, Tony Temple, in a competitive effort. Is there another game that stands out in this most special season? Unfortunately, there are two that stick out in my mind so, with tongue firmly in cheek; I’ll have to recount the two “greatest games” if you’ll afford me that discretion. 

The first game was actually a loss. What, you say … how can a Pirate defeat be deemed “greatest”? Bear with me sports fans and I think you’ll understand. There was electricity in the air as the juggernaut from Columbia Hickman invaded Pirate Nation on Friday night, September 29th, 2000. Fireworks erupted early and often in this epic shootout as the two titans traded touchdowns like two heavyweights exchanging haymakers toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring. On more than one occasion the Kewpies led the home town heroes by two touchdowns only to see the boys in green come roaring back. The stands were packed with delirious fans who cheered wildly as one magical moment after another crashed all around like relentless waves pounding the seashore. As the clock wound down on this marathon thrill-fest, the score stood at an incredible Hickman 63, Pattonville 56. There was less than a minute left and Hickman had the ball near mid-field. It was time for the fans to catch their breath since the end was inevitable with Hickman holding the ball near mid-field and the Pirates without a timeout remaining. But, against all odds and reason, hearts were still pounding with the faint hope that one more miracle would occur. Then on fourth down with just a few seconds left, the unthinkable happened. Hickman’s QB dropped back and scurried out of the pocket to run out the clock and a Pattonville defender swooped in and knocked the ball loose. It bounded away like a jack rabbit only to be scooped up by an opportunistic Pirate. As the gun sounded, he sprinted toward the end zone to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Kewpie QB had the angle and met the sprinting Pirate inside the five yard line and barely knocked him out of bounds to preserve Columbia Hickman’s victory. Yes, it was a Pirate loss but the game was a masterpiece of guts, determination, iron will and thrills. Many records were set that night. At 119 points it still stands as the fifth highest combined score in state history and, as far as I know, the highest in the large school record books. Losing such a hard fought nail biter could have been devastating to the team but it brought out the best in them. They made it through the fire and were refined as gold, preparing them to make history in the season ahead. 

There’s only one way to top such an iconic game … and that, of course, is with a victory. With a tip of the cap to all of the other great Pirate victories, I must contend that there was never as much on the line as there was on Saturday November 18, 2000. Both teams were seeking their first trip to the state finals. When the mighty Patriots of Parkway South (10-0) rolled into Pattonville Stadium to square off with the Pirates (10-2), the stands were jammed with nearly 5,000 fans including temporary bleachers and standing room only. The buzz was palpable as we gazed upon what I’ll call a three chopper game. There were three television news helicopters and a phalanx of media in place. There was some recent history and a cross-town rivalry that the media used to stoke the anticipation for this showdown. For me, this one was personal. One of my colleagues at work had a son on the opposing squad, a tight end named Tom Marsden who would score a go-ahead touchdown for the Patriots. South’s coach, Tom Dailey, was the son of a close business associate of mine, the late Ron Dailey. Most importantly, my son, Eric, was at the helm as QB for Pattonville. 

Parkway South was still smarting from Pattonville derailing their previous unbeaten season and they were on a mission to get payback. They were loaded with talent like linebacker Emmitt Morris, QB Josh Broeker and 262 pound fullback Andre Malone. Bridgeton’s local media treasure, Rich Gould, smelled a story and dispatched a KPLR crew to dredge the details. First they visited the Patriots who were practicing inside due to the bitter cold that week. There were taunts aplenty from players and even Coach Dailey who boldly threw down the gauntlet promising to reverse their fortunes against the Pirates this time. When Channel 11 visited Pattonville they found the Pirates outside braced against the frigid winds. Coach Greco knew better than to pamper his eager charges. The news team interviewed one player, old number 12, Eric Stranghoener. Most of the talking was done by the reporter who relayed the challenges issued by South. He hoped to bait the QB into a war of words. Eric was no fool and calmly offered this short reply, “Bring it on.” When Rich Gould ran the piece on Channel 11 the night before the game he chuckled and exclaimed, “That’s my neighbor Eric and he says, bring it on.”  

Both teams held up their end of the bargain. South’s stout defense stymied Pattonville’s potent running attack featuring Mizzou-bound Tyrone Roberson and SEMO-bound Chaun Tate. The Pirates offered strong resistance too, led by Illinois-bound middle linebacker Antonio Mason and Martin Nance. The future Minnesota Viking receiver, Nance, went both ways that day. The defensive struggle resulted in an 8-6 half-time lead for Parkway South. Both offensives came out ready in the second half. South put up two touchdowns and missed a two point conversion. Pattonville went to the air and Stranghoener threw a strike to Nance and added a two point conversion. After settling for a field goal, Stranghoener teamed up with Mike Montgomery for mind blowing 56 yard TD bomb to make the score 24-20 Pattonville. South was not done and was marching toward the end zone and a go-ahead score when Nance, now on defense, intercepted his second pass of the day to preserve the victory. The Patriots did bring it on that day but the Pirates were up to the challenge and would not be denied their first trip to the Dome. I think it’s safe to say it was the happiest day in the history of PHS football. 

I offer my apologies to all of the other local schools with the many other “greatest” games that I overlooked. As I admitted, this one was from the heart. My fondest wish is for the next generation of grid iron greats to regale us with fresh grist for the legend mill. Only time will tell but perhaps Coach Greco will return someday to lead Pattonville to the Promised Land again and take that last step in securing their first state title. It would only be fitting. This I know … old number 12 is doing his best to help the Pirates reload for glory. Watch out for Cooper and Luke come 2028! I hope you’ll tuck this away and share it with your little Pirates when their time comes.