Expectations rising as Pirates head into fall ranked among Missouri’s top 25 football teams

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The most celebrated player in the history of the Hannibal High School football program begins his first collegiate football season in three days as the University of Notre Dame kicks off fall camp with Aneyas Williams in the backfield.

So what does that mean for the Pirates?

Opportunities abound.

There’s an opportunity for playmakers to emerge. There’s a chance for new leadership to take the reins. And there’s the possibility the Pirates catapult themselves into the state championship chatter, if they haven’t already.

Sunday, SBLive Sports, a division of the Sports Illustrated Media Group, released its Missouri prep football top 25 rankings, which spans all classes and all corners of the state. Hannibal cracked the list, coming in at No. 22 and ranking fourth among Class 4 programs.

Kearney is No. 7, Lutheran North is No. 8 and Hillsboro is No. 10.

The Pirates’ season-opening opponent is also ranked. Jefferson City Helias, which made the Class 5 state quarterfinals last season, checks in at No. 17.

Heightening the expectations for the Pirates, who went 11-2 last season and lost an epic state quarterfinal to Lutheran North 70-68, is the return of senior quarterback Waylon Anders and senior running back Mike Ferreira.

The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Anders is listed as one of the top 30 returning quarterbacks in the Show Me State, according to SBLive Sports. A year ago, Anders threw for 1,436 yards with 25 touchdowns against just four interceptions, while also running for 476 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Ferreira, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound physical runner, is listed as one of the top 50 running backs in Missouri by SBLive Sports and put up numbers last season that rival any big-time back. He rushed for 1,817 yards and 18 touchdowns while playing alongside Williams.

Now, Ferreira is the offensive focal point, but will have playmakers alongside him to help shoulder the load. That kind of depth and ability to reload is why the Pirates remain one of the state’s top teams and should stay in that conversation moving forward.

Hannibal begins practice Aug. 12 with the season opener scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 30 against Helias at Porter Stadium.