Despite Rough Finish, Lindbergh Football Solid Again in 2010

After starting 10-0 and suffering an upset loss to Fox in the first round of the state playoffs last year for their first and only defeat of the season, many thought the losses the Lindbergh Flyers football team suffered to graduation would be too much for them to overcome in 2010.

But that's not how Tom Beauchamp and the Lindbergh Flyers operate these days. Since making a trip to the State Championship game in 2003, Beauchamp and the Flyers have routinely been a force to be reckoned with in the tough Suburban West Conference.

And things were no different this fall as Beauchamp took an inexperienced Flyers team back to the state playoffs, finishing the year 9-3 overall and tied for another Suburban West title with a 7-1 conference mark.

But the season again ended on a sour note for Lindbergh as they allowed three interception returns for touchdowns and fell behind 30-0 early in the second quarter in an eventual 44-12 loss at DeSmet in the Missouri State Quarterfinals.

"We lost a whole lot of kids from last year," Beauchamp said. "People didn't think we'd be very deep. But I think the kids we had worked their tails off and came out in the offseason and did all the things they needed to do. We finished 9-3. After it's all said and done, that's not a bad year. Of course, when you're in the heat of it you want to do better and want to do more, but when you look back at it, it was a pretty good year."

After starting the year 4-0 with wins over Oakville, Lafayette, Fox and Parkway South, it was a humbling 35-21 loss at Marquette on Sept. 24 that may have helped the Flyers in the long run. The Flyers had allowed 12 points or less in three of four games before Marquette exposed them for 35 points in an ugly defensive performance.

So Beauchamp and the defensive coaches went to work, changing both players and schemes to make sure their defense was a strong point the rest of the season. Whatever they did, it worked.

The Lindbergh defense allowed 14 points or less in four of their final seven games, including a dominating six-point effort to lead the Flyers to a 14-6 sectional win over Eureka on Nov. 5.  The Flyers allowed 18.1 points per game on the season, second-fewest in the conference.

"I think the defense was steady all year long," Beauchamp said. "The offense came and went and we had good games and bad games but the defense was steady most of the year. We had one bad game and that was Marquette and we kind of blew the wheels off and looked at what we were doing and revamped a few things. After that, we got things back together for the Eureka game the next week and we became very, very solid after that. They played with a lot of heart."

Quarterback Peter Simpson was one of the highlights on offense for the Flyers, finishing ninth in the St. Louis area with 2,210 passing yards. He threw 19 touchdowns but also had 10 interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns in their season-ending loss to DeSmet.

The junior gives the Flyers some hope for next season, but several key pieces won't be back in 2011. Running back Tim Hamm-Bey, who rushed for 558 yards and six touchdowns and became a threat late in the year on kick returns, will graduate this spring. Their top two receivers, Adam Schremp (30 catches, 789 yards, 12 total touchdowns), and Will Spitzfaden (37 catches, 695 yards) both are seniors and won't be available to the Flyers next season.

Spitzfaden will also be missed on defense where he tied for the conference lead with five interceptions. Chris Collins (12 sacks) and Tony Robinson (nine sacks, three fumble recoveries) graduate as well, leaving the Flyers with several holes to replace next season.

But as they did this year, and as they do almost every year, Beauchamp and the Flyers are confident they can regroup and make another run in 2011.

"We're going to have to reload," Beauchamp said. "We're going to have to find some people for some positions and may have to move some people around and readapt a little but that's the nature of the high school game. You can't see kids for more than four years and after that you have to make new adjustments. Obviously, we won't be quite as tough up front but I think throughout the year if we work hard enough we'll be able to hold our own.

"Anytime you lose your last game which is almost everybody who gets in the playoffs, you always get hungrier and I think that's a good thing for the young kids to be hungry and want to get back and be in the playoffs again. Hopefully they will set some goals and work hard in the offseason to meet those goals."