After a comeback saw the decidedly underdog Osage Indians come within one touchdown of tying the California Pintos in California in the closing minutes of the game, a pair of turnovers ended the Indians hope of pulling off a huge upset of the Pintos.
Osage dropped a 43-29 decision, giving state-ranked California one of its closest games of the season but simultaneously solidifying their place as a strong team in Class 3.
Tonight, they'll have another chance to prove definitively that they belong in the same rare air as other top Tri-County Conference teams when they face the Hallsville Indians, currently sitting in a tie at No. 2 in the conference, on the road to close out the regular season.
Hallsville's coming off of a 38-15 win against Eldon, and their only loss this season came against the Pintos. The team from just north of Columbia even managed to take a win from the Blair Oaks Falcons with the help of some big turnovers. They're 7-1 and have had most of their success because of their strong offense.
In each of their wins this year, they've scored at least 34 points, and they've topped 40 points on four occasions. They can accomplish this because their offense is filled with talented players at all positions.
Running back Skyler Creed sticks out from the rest though, even on a team with as much skill as Hallsville.
Creed has 1,659 yards of total offense, more than 1,000 of which have come on the ground, and a whopping 24 touchdowns. Creed's arguably one of the best backs in the conference.
Hallsville quarterback Joey Forge has also excelled this season with more than 1,000 yards passing and 13 touchdowns, but he's also tossed nine interceptions.
Hallsville's top wide receivers, Kyle Borland and Gabe Sheffield could make things difficult for Osage's secondary.
If Osage wants to succeed though, it will realistically come down to one person: quarterback Austin Riley.
While Riley's still one of the team's top performers, he's thrown 15 interceptions this year, four each against Southern Boone, Blair Oaks and California. Those turnovers, though sometimes his receivers haven't helped with them, have hurt Osage down the stretch.
If Riley has a solid night in the air and manages to keep the ball out of the opponent's hands, expect a close game between two high-powered offenses.
Should Osage find a win tonight in Hallsville, and either Ava or Mountain Grove loses, the Indians could move up into a No. 2 spot in District 3 to significantly boost their chances for a deep playoff run in upcoming weeks.