Before their loss to Seneca in the state quarterfinals, the Eldon Mustangs created a signature playing style against which opposing coaches usually couldn't prepare.
Coach Shannon Jolley would run the ball at your defense using a strong, fast backfield - including quarterback Wyatt Greenwalt - and you had to be bigger, stronger and faster to stop them.
No team in their district stood up to the task and the Mustangs ran for more than 4,000 yards last season on the way to their second consecutive district championship.
However, the glory days of last season gave way to a much different Eldon for 2014. Greenwalt, the cornerstone of their offense, graduated, as did other impact players including Dalton Lister, Raymond Kwok and second team All-State offensive lineman Wyatt Bashore. Jolley remains undeterred with the roster changes, saying he's handled them before. Most notably, he handled the departure of 2012's senior class last year.
And he and his team still earned a district title for their perseverance.
This year, their competition for that title will get a lot tougher for them though. They moved into Class 3 District 6, which features both the Blair Oaks Falcons and the California Pintos, the No. 3 and No. 4 ranked Class 3 teams in Missouri, respectively. Those two teams were also the only two schools to blow out Eldon last year during the regular season. California shut them out 38-0, and Blair Oaks won 48-12.
To add to the challenge, the Mustangs have a starting line-up almost devoid of seniors and instead have juniors and sophomores starting in almost all positions.
Ever steadfast, the Mustangs will return to their ground-game ways relying on a strong offensive line to open running lanes for speedsters like Levi Shinn, a junior to keep an eye on for the next two seasons, and Shane Randall, a sophomore.
At quarterback, the position's still up for grabs between Nick Hendrix and Austin Kempker who have both gotten a ton of reps with the first team. Both will try to fill a similar role as their predecessor, running draw plays for shorter gains and outside sweeps for longer ones by outspeeding defensive ends off the edge.
On defense, the Mustangs will play a 3-4 formation that utilizes the blitz more often than not to get men forward. Linebackers like Shinn and Garrett Scrivener have the most playmaking potential, but the defensive line with players like junior Graham Baucom, sophomore Tate Warney and senior Paul Gabbard will also have to lock up multiple offensive linemen.
Shinn will also likely play the role of kicker as he did last season, but Eldon rarely relied on the special teams to provide extra oomph for their offense. Instead they would often punt (a Greenwalt duty) or go on fourth-down regularly without any hesitation. Expect more of that aggressive play style this season.
For Eldon to remain successful, this season's junior class will have to prove up to the task of replacing last year's district title winning seniors. It's a bit too early to tell if this year is a rebuilding year for the Mustangs, especially considering how successful they've been in the past. If they don't leap out of the gate, patience will be pivotal.