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FLORISSANT, Mo. — Seth Nichols knew where the play was designed. 

But when the Francis Howell Central sophomore took the handoff, the route was slammed shut. Without an ounce of panic in his mind, he found a new route his offensive line was paving and took it on a run he won't soon forget. 

"My left guard picked up a big block," Nichols said. "Really, it was just a good read by the line and everyone coming through." 

Nichols' first career varsity touchdown Thursday night salted away the game as Francis Howell Central picked up its first win of the season with a 20-7 victory at Hazelwood Central.

"It feels amazing," Francis Howell Central senior Jack Brown said. "We still have so much work to do. To get a win tonight is huge for us. To get that first win out of the way, hopefully we'll get more."

Howell Central (1-1) picked up its first win in nearly a year. Its last win was Oct. 10, 2025, against Francis Howell North. 

Nichols' first career touchdown came with the game very much in the balance.

His 11-yard scamper with 1:12 left in regulation gave the Spartans a chance to breathe a little easier with a two-score lead against the Hawks (0-2).

"We want our guys to get after it and be hungry," Francis Howell Central coach Malach Radigan said. "It's awesome to have multiple backs that run like they have a chip on their shoulders. I could say that's our team's identity — we're not going to be flashy. We have Jack Brown, but these guys fight, scratch by any means and do whatever is needed."

Nichols finished with a team-high 73 yards on 12 carries with that first career touchdown. 

Joining Nichols in career first was sophomore quarterback Sam Aholt. The sophomore signal caller got his first varsity start on Thursday and overcame an early fumble off a bad snap. 

"Goldfish memory," Aholt said. "Just got to forget about it and get it the next possession."

Aholt then proceeded to hit all of his first six passes, including a seemingly innocent swing pass to Brown, who then blasted 66 yards for the game's opening score. 

Though Brown is a playmaker, even Aholt didn't know if the 6-foot-5 University of Missouri recruit was going to go the distance on that play.

"I was hoping he would," Aholt said. "He does it all the time in practice, just hoping he'd do it again."

Having such a young backfield didn't give Radigan any pause when he filled out the lineup sheet. 

"Just with our track record, we don't look at it like it's just a sophomore," Radigan said. "We want to win. We'll try to find ways to win and keep growing. When you see those guys play, credit to those guys, they're hungry and they're not backing down. It's cool to see that."

Aholt finished the night going 8-for-12 for 155 passing yards and that one first-quarter TD to Brown.

Brown impacts all over the field

Brown finished the game with three receptions for 83 yards and his TD. He also had eight tackles and ripped the ball out of a Hazelwood Central ball carrier's hand in the second half.

"He was holding it weird, and I saw that and took advantage of it and got the ball," Brown said. 

For Radigan, that kind of performance is just who Brown is, so he wasn't in the least bit surprised.

"In my mind, I'm trying to be like, 'We won't always have this, but we have it right now, so let's utilize it,' " Radigan said. "He's a playmaker. Jack is lights out. He's a playmaker through and through, but with all that, he has a team behind him that supports and loves him. It's so fun to watch."

He did miss out on getting a rushing score late in the third quarter. Francis Howell Central broke out their "Sparta" package, a single-wing look with Brown at quarterback. 

But two straight runs and the Hawks turned him away both times, another first for the Spartans.

Not the kind of first that Brown wants to repeat.

"That was the first time I've ever been stopped in it," Brown said. "Credit to them, but hopefully it never happens again."

Hawks going through growing pains

Outside of a 61-yard touchdown strike from junior Ryan Nichols to senior Justin Mitchell, the Hawks' offense sputtered. 

It's something that first-year coach Joseph Brown sadi he knew he'd see early in the rebuilding process.

"When this team matures, we're going to be dangerous, but we're at this infancy stage, where they're learning to crawl before they can walk," Brown said. "We have to do a better job in practice and everything we do with a sense of urgency. We'll get there. We just have to be patient. A rebuild is never easy and it's something that is painful. You either run from it or embrace it."

Mitchell finished with five receptions on seven targets for 102 yards and a touchdown. 

Nichols finished the night with 107 passing yards to go along with a team-high 40 yards on the ground.

"We have so many kids who are explosive and have great potential, but I told them that my father told me a long time ago, potential means you ain't doing it right now," Brown said. "That's what we have to do. We have to turn that potential into reality and results."