By Richard Polen
rpolen@joplinglobe.com
MILLER, Mo. — Valle Catholic’s fans went the extra mile to see their team play Saturday in the Class 1 quarterfinals, and they didn’t go home disappointed.
The Warriors from Ste. Genevieve, located on the Mississippi River about 100 miles south of St. Louis, scored on all five of their first-half possessions and defeated Miller 42-6 in front of an overflow crowd, including hundreds of fans from the other side of the state.
“I knew they were a good team, but I didn’t realize how good they are,” Miller head coach Dustin Baldwin said. “I felt like we could run the ball, get physical with them, but they’re more physical than they looked on film.”
The Warriors, 13-0, advanced to the semfinals where they will face Tipton, which defeated Adrian 26-7 in another quarterfinal.
A handful of Valle fans headed for their cars at halftime with the Warriors leading 35-0, but they didn’t miss much. The second half went by quickly with a running clock, and Valle head coach Judd Naeger used his nonstarters in the fourth quarter, content to simply run out the clock.
“I think we just got some breaks,” Naeger said. “You have to give them credit. They’re a good football team.
“Our guys up front are pretty good. Sometimes they get overshadowed by our skill kids,” he said. “They work hard every day, and they’re smart, too.”
Valle’s roster of 43 players comes from a school with an enrollment of 130, Naeger said. “Their parents, uncles and grandparents played here,” he said. “This was the only place you could have found our kids this morning unless they would have gone hunting.”
Senior quarterback Michael Greminger completed 8 of 12 passes in the first half for 197 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in the first half and finished with 100 yards rushing on 14 carries.
His only passing attempt in the second half came on Valle’s first possession and was intercepted by Justin Jack. Warriors’ running back Luke Uding gained 94 yards on nine carries.
Jack completed 17 of 30 passes for 129 yards and led the Cardinals with 59 yards rushing on nine carries, including a 44-yard burst with two minutes to go in the game that set up the Cardinals’ touchdown.
“They were still hungry and worked hard,” Baldwin said. “They just ran into a good football team.”
After Miller was forced to punt on its first possession, a 36-yard pass from Greminger to Nick Brown gave Valle a first down at the Miller 1, and Uding scored three plays later for a 7-0 lead.
Miller’s best scoring opportunity until near the end of the game came on its next possession. A long kickoff return by Tyler Hinshaw gave Miller a start at the Valle 39. A 15-yard reception by Hinshaw and a 10-yard run by Daniel Parscal gave the Cardinals a first down at the 15, but the drive ended when, on fourth-and-9, Jack’s pass to Hinshaw in the end zone was incomplete.
From that point, Valle took over the game and needed just 19 plays to score its next three touchdowns, including an option pass from Greminger, who lined up at running back, to Michael Loida for a 21-0 lead with 10:41 left in the first half.
Valle’s final touchdown came early in the third quarter after the first of two interceptions by Jason Blum, who returned the ball to the Miller 8. Greminger scored on the next play for a 42-0 lead.
With time running out, Miller went 86 yards in five plays, including a 35-yard pass from Jack to Hinshaw, on its last possession. Jack’s 7-yard scoring pass to Hinshaw was the last play of the game.
The Cardinals, 10-3, are co-champions of the Spring River Valley Conference. “Thayer has been to the dome twice,” Baldwin said of Miller’s 35-34 double-overtime victory in the second round of the playoffs. “To beat those guys was an accomplishment for these seniors.
“Our kids represented their school well, represented their families well,” he said. “It’s tough to see these kids go.”
