For the first time since 2019, the Perryville Pirates have started the football season 2-0.

It's a good start for first-year starting quarterback Kayd Luckey. Through the first two games of the season, the junior single caller has shown the ability to make scoring plays with both his arm and legs.

Against Fredericktown at the start of the season, Luckey rushed for 91 yards including a 70-yard touchdown run. Against DeSoto, he added 73 yards on the ground but also threw for 120 yards and three touchdowns in nine passing attempts.

Perryville head coach Brent Roth said he "anticipated" the opportunity to ground and pound Fredericktown while slowly easing Luckey into the quarterback role, preparing him to use all his talents on the road in Week 2.

"We thought we could run the ball against Fredericktown and we thought we were going to have to throw the ball a little bit more on DeSoto," Roth said. "With Kade being a first-time quarterback, we wanted him to get his legs under him in that first game and didn't want to put too much on his plate."

While in both games where he has had more carries than passing attempts, the aspect of his early performance that Roth calls "his biggest thing" is his ability to avoid turnovers and keep plays alive by "using his legs."

"He makes my job really easy," Roth said, "because when I call a passing route and it shuts down and the pocket falls apart, he can scramble and at least get back to the line of scrimmage and keep us ahead of the sticks. So he's done a great job as a leader, and he's done a great job protecting the football, putting everybody in positions."

While Luckey had few chances to throw the ball at DeSoto, he knew exactly who to throw to. Senior Dominic Seiler caught four passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns while fellow senior Chase Richardet snagged three receptions for 57 yards and a score.

"They're both talented," Roth said. "They both do things differently. They're not necessarily the same type of player but they're both guys that we try to scheme into the situation. At the same time, we're not afraid to throw it to anybody on the field."

This is the first time both Perryville and St. Vincent enter the crosstown rivalry game undefeated since the rivalry series was revived in 2016. While there is excitement for the community, both coaches see it as just another game.

“It’s just another game on the schedule,” St. Vincent head coach Tim Schumer said after the Indians' 24-7 win over Valle Catholic. “It’s the crosstown rivalry but it’s no bigger than any game.”

A win in this game not only secures bragging rights but also pole position in the race for the I55 Conference title, of which St. Vincent is a defending champion.

"One of our goals is to try to win that conference championship," Roth said. "So we got to win this game in order to do that."

There are similarities between the two offenses. Both teams have an upperclassman running back blustering through the defense. St. Vincent senior Cruz Reitzel has 177 rushing yards and a touchdown over 35 attempts and Perryville junior Barrett Wheeler has 209 yards and three touchdowns over 40 carries.

St. Vincent quarterback Nick Buchheitt connected with John Schwartz for 126 yards a week after connecting with Max Wheeler for 106 yards. He also has Jake Seabaugh as a security blanket, who has 97 yards and two touchdowns over six receptions so far this season.

The passing offense gives St. Vincent an advantage over any team on the schedule, but this is also the Pirates' best chance to beat their rivals for the second time since 2016.