For Lafayette fans concerned about this week’s matchup against Mehlville, they can take comfort in the fact that the Panthers had even more trouble with Eureka than the Lancers. They fell to the Wildcats 41-14 last week. But the same team also opened the season with an impressive 42-12 victory over Northwest.

So which team Mehlville team will show up?

One thing is for sure: Coach Boyd Manne isn’t counting on a poor performance by the Panthers. He’s preparing the Lancers to face a potent offensive team that gashed Northwest for 297 rushing yards.

“They’ve got a good football team with a great running game. They’re returning a lot of players and we’re expecting a tough game,” he said.

The team has many options when it comes to the ground game. Against Northwest, five players carried the ball at least four times. But Remington Grigsby distinguished himself as the feature back, leading the way with 124 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. He also led the team with three catches. Brandon Zufall added 61 yards on 12 carries and Chase Brown scored twice on the ground.

To contain the opponent’s running game, Manne says his team will focus on simple things like bringing extra defenders to the line of scrimmage and working on tackling during practice. But the Lancers shouldn’t ignore the efficiency of quarterback Zach Hayes, who went 8 for 10 with 51 yards and a touchdown against Northwest.

On offense, the Lancers will again have to make adjustments after gaining just 183 total yards last week against Lindbergh. Unable to get anything going through the air (2 of 4 with 17 yards), junior quarterback Will Dupont was moved to receiver in the second half. With junior Dominic Bisesi under center, the team engineered a late scoring drive and discovered a newfound rhythm. But despite Dupont’s struggles and Bisesi’s success, Manne says the two will play equally against Mehlville. 

“We look for our quarterbacks to manage the game and take care of the ball. Each guy brings different skills,” Manne said.

Whether or not the Lancers can recover from this 0-2 start will depend largely on the man under center. For the team to be competitive, either Dupont or Bisesi will have to help put points on the board and take pressure off the defense. And another off-night by the Panthers would help, too.