Franky Erxleben Makes Pigskin Preview Cover

By Wyatt Hardy

Sullivan High School’s senior running back/linebacker, Franky Erxleben, appeared on the cover of the 25th Annual Mid-Missouri Pigskin Preview, a magazine dedicated to presenting statistics, records and information about the upcoming season for Mid-Missouri football teams. He was selected as one of the top 20 junior football players in the region.

In 2022, he set three goals for himself: winning a district championship, rushing for over 1,200 yards and landing on the front cover of the Pigskin Preview. All these goals became a reality as Sullivan emerged victorious in the district championship against their rivals, St. Clair. Erxleben had an outstanding year, rushing for 1,203 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns. Lastly, he achieved his ultimate objective of being featured on the Pigskin Preview cover.

At the end of football practice, he received the news from head coach Eddie Haar. “He stood me up and said, ‘Congratulations, you will be representing us on the front cover of the Pigskin,’ and all my teammates jumped up to congratulate me,” Erxleben described. He then went to take photos at Union High School with other fellow Mid-Missouri football greats.

When asked about how it felt to be selected, Erxleben stated, “It’s a great honor to be the 5th person ever from Sullivan to be in the Pigskin and to be the first in my skill position.”

The other area players who appeared on the cover are Ryan Jostes of Washington, Hayden Shoemaker of Owensville, Wyatt Birke of Union and Ryan Spurgeon of St. James.

In Sullivan, you can find copies of the Mid-Missouri Missouri Pigskin Preview at Walmart, Peoples Bank, Rich’s Famous Burgers, Silo Restaurant, State Farm Insurance, Ace Hardware and Sullivan Bank.