Turnovers and injuries brought down the Mehlville High School football team in a 14-8 loss to Fort Zumwalt North Friday at home.

The team lost quarterback Brendan Moore and wide receiver/safety Patrick Partee in the first half to injuries. Coach Eric Meyer said it’s uncertain how long they’ll be out.

“We need some guys to step up,” he said. “We had some injuries, it’s time to move on; get guys healthy and move on.”

Kirkland Burton scored the Panthers’ only touchdown and had several strong carries for the team. One drive started the fourth quarter with six carries before getting stopped on fourth down.

“He just ran the ball super hard, that’s kind of what we expect. He came in and did a great job for us,” Meyer said.

Joe Murphy, who stepped in for Moore as quarterback, made a last-ditch run with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. After a long pass to Kyle Bean, Murphy was sacked and then threw an interception with 52 seconds left.

“He did OK,” Meyer said about Murphy’s effort. “He made some really good plays. We just have to pick it up and keep getting better.”

The Panthers hope to get a win next week when they host Eureka at 7 p.m.