Hit hard by injuries and other adversity the past few seasons, Mater Dei’s football team suffered another major blow this week when senior running back Drew Foppe was lost for the season with a broken leg that will require surgery.
Mater Dei junior Jonah Toennies has a fractured clavicle and will miss four to six weeks, according to Knights coach Jim Stiebel.
Stiebel confirmed Foppe has a broken fibula and will undergo surgery Tuesday to have a pin placed in the fracture to aid the healing process.
Through three games, Foppe ranked eighth among St. Louis area rushing leaders with 432 yards and four touchdowns on just 56 carries. He was averaging a whopping 7.7 yards per carry.
Foppe had 119 yards on 20 carries in Saturday’s 31-14 victory over Civic Memorial before being injured in the second half.
“It was a pileup; he got landed on and fractured his fibula,” said Stiebel, whose team is 3-0 and ranked third in the Class 4A state poll while coming in at No. 1 in the News-Democrat Small-School rankings. “They were hoping that there was no separation in there and he would be able to heal up in six to eight weeks, but there’s some space in there that they’re concerned about.
“He’s finished for the season.”
As a junior last season, Foppe ran for 363 yards and three TDs on 34 carries, averaging 10.7 yards per carry.
“I’m taking this one hard because of how hard this kid has worked and where he’s come from,” Stiebel said. “That kid just earned it by his work ethic day-in and day-out. He’s the type of kid where you tell him once — and only once — and he’s got it. He’ll teach that to someone else that, too.”
• Mascoutah High football coach Scott Battas confirmed Monday that offensive tackle-defensive lineman Brenden Dauber will underdog surgery Tuesday for a broken hand that could keep him sidelined for up to six weeks. Dauber, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound senior, also missed the 2-1 Indians’ 24-12 loss to Althoff on Saturday.
