Alumni Foundation Donates $2,900 to Mehlville Football Program on Senior Night

When 1992 Mehlville graduate Andrew Sutton heard that his alma mater’s football program was having financial trouble, he knew that something needed to be done.

Sutton called Mehlville classmate and lifelong friend Phil Spears, and the two decided to create the Panther Pride Football Alumni Foundation in 2003.

Over the past eight years, Sutton – the PPFAF’s president – estimated that the foundation has given the Mehlville football program and its boosters about $20,000.

The foundation handed over its last donation – a check for $2,900 – prior to the start of the Panthers’ regular-season finale against . With Sutton and Spears becoming too busy to keep the organization going, the foundation will be closing down.

“We might not have a foundation anymore, but ourselves and alumni, we hope people get involved with boosters,” Spears said. “Even though this foundation is not there, the boosters are. We hope people put support behind them.

“They’ve done a great job since we were here, and it’s amazing the time and energy the parents and volunteers put into that organization. They deserve a lot of credit.”

Donations to the PPFAF primarily came from Mehlville alumni and local businesses. The football program used a majority of the money to purchase equipment. Spears said the money also helped send players to football camps.

“We both played football for (former Mehlville coach) Gary Heyde,” Sutton said. “We have a lot of respect for Gary. That’s one of the reasons we put this whole thing together. We learned a lot playing football – overcoming adversity, working as a team. I think it’s helped me a lot in business.

“We just want these kids to continue to benefit from the lessons that we learned. We hope that continues to happen.”

Panthers Fall 51-7 to De Smet on Senior Night

Mehlville ended its up-and-down season with a 51-7 loss to the De Smet Spartans Friday night at Mehlville. It was senior night, and 17 Panther seniors were honored for their accomplishments.

“They worked real hard,” Mehlville coach Eric Meyer said. “We’re proud of this group of guys; I was happy to coach them. I wish that we’d done better for them. They’re good kids, they’re hard workers and they’ll do well in life.”

Among those seniors is QB Jeff White, who was unable to play against De Smet due to an injury he sustained in last week’s . White finished the season by completing 50 of 115 passes for 598 yards, 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

All-purpose player Brandon Zufall did a little bit of everything in his final season of high school football. Zufall rushed for 266 yards, had 91 receiving yards and was the Panthers’ second-leading tackler on defense. He was also the team’s kicker and punter.

Wide receiver Michael Sulya, who is also a , led the Panthers with 15 catches for 252 yards and 3 touchdowns. Sulya had the only score of the night for Mehlville against De Smet when he returned a kickoff 92 yards to cut De Smet’s lead to 14-7.

Senior linebacker Dan Kerckhoff was a standout on the Panthers’ defense. He had 54 total tackles, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries.

Meyer said the 2011 season was marked with highs and lows, and he was happy with how hard his seniors and underclassmen worked. The Panthers finished the season with an overall record of 4-6.

“We had three tough weeks, then three good weeks,” Meyer said. “We had a tough end of the year. We played a lot of good teams. You look back at it and you wish better. I’m proud of the kids and how hard they worked. I appreciate all their effort.”