The Perryville Pirates passed their first road test of the season by defeating the DeSoto Dragons 31-28 on Friday, Sept. 6, in DeSoto, Mo.

The Pirates took an early first-quarter lead thanks to a 35-yard field goal by Drew Leuckel to go up 3-0 with 6:16 left in the opening period.

The Pirates added to their lead on a 33-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kayd Luckey to receiver Dominic Seiler.

After the Dragons responded by adding six points of their own, the Pirates once again found the end zone, this time on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Luckey to senior Swiss Army knife Chase Richardet, extending their lead to 17-6 with 5:35 remaining in the second quarter.

The Pirates bullied their way into the end zone in the third quarter. Junior running back Barrett Wheeler punched it in on a 1-yard touchdown run to put Perryville up 24-6. He now has three rushing touchdowns on the season.

DeSoto tried to make it a closer game, trailing the Pirates 24-12 entering the fourth quarter.

It turned out to be futile, as Luckey found Seiler again for another touchdown pass to lead 31-14 with 4:28 left in the game.

The Dragons made a valiant comeback attempt in the end but ran out of time.

The Pirates are 2-0 for the first time since 2019 when they finished 5-5. They will host crosstown rival St. Vincent on Sept. 13, whom they have only defeated once since the rivalry was revived in 2016.

Around Southeast Missouri

Volleyball: Perryville defeated the Woodland in four sets (21-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21) to win the Woodland Invitational Tournament championship for the second year in a row. The Pirates were led by Paige Berkbigler (22 assists, 2 blocks, 11 digs), Ellie Gerler (10 kills, 5 blocks) and Jewel Riney (20 digs).

Volleyball: Oak Ridge defeated Meadow Heights in straight sets (25-15, 25-22, 25-23) in the consolation final of the Woodland Invitational Tournament. The Blue Jays were led by Reagan Howe (16 kills, 12 digs, 4 blocks), Kinsley Bogenpohl (18 digs, 4 aces), Karen Deckerd (13 kills, 11 digs) and Kenadie Ward (31 assists).

Volleyball: Eagle Ridge defeated Crosspoint in straight sets (25-9, 25-11, 25-9) behind Kaylee Mason’s 10 kills, and Cesia Salinas’ 11 assists and nine aces.

Soccer: Micah Stengler and Caleb Margrabe scored a goal to lead the Eagle Ridge Eagles to a 2-1 win over Crosspoint Christian.