The Eldon Mustangs have won two consecutive district titles. If they want to make it three in a row, the Mustangs will have to do it as a No. 6 seed.
Eldon (3-6) will start Class 3 District 6 play tonight with a game against Fulton against the Hornets (5-4).
Fulton has struggled of late, going 2-3 in its last five games, with the wins coming against Boonville (2-7) and Kirksville (1-8). School of the Osage, the only team both Fulton and Eldon have played, crushed Fulton 41-14 in the season opener, but the Hornets had a few key players missing during that game, primarily quarterback Sam Christensen.
Christensen, the offensive leader for the team, has had a strong season despite only playing eight games. He has thrown for more than 1,000 yards and run for another 371. He also has 13 touchdowns to his name and a quarterback rating hovering around 90.
However, Fulton has other weapons that could prove more lethal against Eldon, especially in running back Travis Dean. Dean has 893 yards on 125 carries (good for 7.1 yards per carry), and nine touchdowns. The junior has another 196 yards on just 12 receptions. If Dean finds the open field he can be tough to catch.
On defense, Fulton has another gallery of standouts. Linebacker Kobe Kaminski averages 13.4 tackles per game and has 121 total tackles on the year. Defensive tackles Clayton Bristol and Alex Garner are strong as well and the Hornets' 4-4 scheme could prove to be a test for the Eldon running game.
If Eldon has to revert to the pass, quarterback Austin Kempker proven to be more than capable of delivering when he needed.
Last week, Eldon dropped its sixth game of the season to the Southern Boone Eagles (3-6) due to costly turnovers, untimely penalties, and a hungry Eagles team that had a tangible mental edge all night, especially on third-down defensive stops. Eldon only managed to convert on 4 of its 13 attempts as Kempker was sacked eight times.
Eldon's offensive line will need to have a big game to support running backs Shane Randall and Levi Shinn.