About the only thing Mat Sims couldn’t do on Wednesday night was kick a 50-yard field goal.

Sims caught four touchdown passes from Hannibal quarterback Charlie Fohey, booted a 43-yard field goal, and every one of his kickoffs were touchbacks.

"We used that play against Mexico this year and got a really big play out of it, and then again today," Sims said of his sideline go route that had the Lions grasping at air. "(Fohey) was on target all night. There wasn’t a lot of wind like the last couple of games and (Fohey) knew where he had to put the ball."

Fohey put the ball in Sims’ hands and the Pirates put themselves in the Class 4 sectionals with a 37-12 win over the Lions, who made their first playoff appearance in school history. Hannibal improved to 9-2 and will face juggernaut Helias (10-0) on Monday. The Lions won just one game last year, but swept their district opponents and finished 8-3 in Year 2.

"Our goals are like everybody’s: to be down at the (Edward Jones Dome)," said Zumwalt East coach Scott Eacret. "Did we accomplish everything? No. Did we knock off a lot of our goals? Absolutely. I couldn’t be prouder of our boys. They worked hard in the offseason and came back from a 1-9 season and finished as undefeated district champs. We are not at the caliber yet with some of these playoff teams. We feel like we belong, we just didn’t play well enough to win."

The disparity in playoff savvy was apparent from the beginning. Zumwalt East linebacker Conor Vortherms recovered Hannibal running back Mark Nemes’ fumble on the game’s fourth play, but the Lions offense was stopped in three plays, and when the snap on the punt sailed over Marvin Byrd’s head, Hannibal was at the Lions’ 1-yard line. Nemes scored one play later and the Pirates led 7-0 with 9 minutes, 46 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Lions went three-and-out on their second series and the Pirates took over in Zumwalt East territory. Fohey found Sims for their first TD connection from 25 yards and the Pirates led 14-0 with 6:37 left in the first.

"That got us all pumped up on the sideline," Fohey said of the Lions’ botched punt. "We were pretty confident coming into this game, but we have to put this one behind us and get ready for Helias."

Zumwalt East had scoring drives of 80 and 99 yards. Their first scoring drive began after Sims scored his first TD. Byrd, also the team’s starting QB, hit Brad Chapman with a 14-yard pass and scampered for a 19-yard gain during the 13-play, 80-yard drive that was culminated by Byrd’s 15-yard TD pass to Travis McClure with 2:40 left in the first. The Lions’ PAT failed and they trailed 14-6.

Nemes had two runs for 61 yards and the Pirates quickly took a 20-6 lead on their next drive. Fohey found Sims with a 13-yard scoring strike with 55 seconds left in the first.

"We didn’t hold onto the ball or stop Hannibal’s offense," Eacret said. "They got a lot of mileage out of that pass play and our kids had a hard time picking up the concept on that play."

The two teams traded turnovers on the next three possessions and a Hannibal punt buried the Lions at their own 1 with 4:39 left in the first half.

Byrd and Chapman began to peck away at the length of the field, and on third-and-10 late in the drive, Byrd found tight end Reed Booth with a 35-yard pass. On the next play, Byrd scored on a 21-yard TD run with 1:08 left in the half.

The Lions got the ball first in the second half, but their attempt to tie the Pirates evaporated in three plays. Starting at midfield on their first drive of the second half, the Pirates wasted little time increasing their lead. Fohey hit Sims with their third TD, this time from 36 yards, and the Pirates led 27-12 with 9:23 left in the third.

"We run Mat on the go and I try to get the ball to him as best I can," Fohey said. "The offensive line did a great job and gave me the ability to pass the ball."

Nemes ripped off a 50-yard run on the Pirates’ next scoring drive that was capped by Fohey’s fourth TD pass to Sims. The last TD was from 24 yards and gave the Pirates a 34-12 lead with 3:03 left in the third.

Sims’ 43-yard field goal came on the heels of a 13-play drive with 8:04 left in the game. With less than 2:00 left in the game, Sims’ 50-yard attempt went wide left.

"I can make them from 55 in practice," he said. "I just couldn’t do it tonight. I was trying to play the wind, it wasn’t there, and I pushed it."

Several Lions missed the playoff game because of injuries. Linebacker Alex Nischbach didn’t play after being injured in a non-contact practice on Tuesday. On Monday, Eacret said Nischbach would be a key player in stopping Hannibal’s offense.