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Sports

Mehlville Faces De Smet in Last Home Contest

The 4-5 Panthers take on the 7-2 Spartans this Friday night in Mehlville's final game of the 2011 season.

The Mehlville Panthers will try to end their season on a winning note when they host the De Smet Spartans in a Class 6, District 2 matchup on Friday at 7 p.m.

Mehlville (4-5 overall, 4-4 in the Suburban West Conference) was eliminated from playoff contention last week when it lost 20-15 to Lindbergh . The Panthers are 0-2 in district action, as on Oct. 14.

Things won’t get any easier for the Panthers this Friday, as they take on one of the top teams in the state in De Smet (7-2 overall, 2-2 in the Metro Catholic Conference). The Spartans, 1-1 in District 2 play, last week in a thrilling overtime game.

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De Smet will need a win to advance to the Class 6 state playoffs for a fifth consecutive season. The Spartans have advanced to the state semifinals in three of the past four years, and they won a state title in 2005.

De Smet has dominated the Panthers in their recent matchups. The Spartans beat Mehlville 35-7 last year, 38-0 in 2009 and 17-7 in 2008.

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To keep this game close, Mehlville will need to contain De Smet senior Durron Neal, one of the area’s top players. Neal has scored 16 touchdowns this season. He has 414 receiving yards and 151 rushing yards.

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