Tonight, Versailles (1-8) will travel to California (9-0) for what figures to be their last game of the 2014 season.
The Tigers have played the Pintos once already this season, dropping a 51-14 decision in a Tri-County Conference contest. While that result was actually one of only three times a team scored more than 10 points on California, Versailles' scores came late, well after California had the game in hand, and the quality between the No. 1 and No. 8 seeds of Class 3 District 6 could not be more stark.
California, the No. 2 ranked team in the state for Class 3, has talent at every position, and leading the show is quarterback Jaden Barr who has had a remarkable year, one that will likely earn him all-conference honors. He runs well, throws well and rarely turns the ball over. Last week against Warsaw, Barr had 200 total yards and four touchdowns before leaving the game at halftime.
As a whole, the Pintos scored 42 points in the first quarter against Warsaw last week. That's an average of one touchdown every two minutes. Those kinds of scorelines were typical of most of the Pintos' games, including their win against the Tigers in early September.
The only two teams that challenged California this year were the Blair Oaks Falcons (the No. 2 seed in District 6) and the School of the Osage Indians, two teams that also defeated the Tigers. Blair Oaks picked up its victory against Versailles last week.
Primarily, the Tigers have an opportunity to give seniors Michael Allen and Johnathan Cunningham a proper send-off. Cunningham has proven to be Versailles' most reliable running back, while Allen has continually been a bright spot on offense and defense for Versailles with 339 receiving yards.
The Tigers can also use this game as an opportunity to analyze the talent they'll have next season. Sophomore Sean Varner, their quarterback, will have two years remaining in his career and he has the skill set to lead a team. Blake Varner as a wide receiver/running back shows flashes of talent as well, as has freshman Taylor Dobbins.
Versailles is a young team rebuilding with time to mature. If the Tigers lose to a powerhouse like California tonight, they shouldn't take it as an indictment of their potential.