LAKE OZARK, Mo. - It's a game neither team really wants.
But it is a game, and that's what counts.
Neither the School of the Osage nor Seneca high school football programs look forward to the three-hour marathon bus ride each will have to endure in the next two years. However, both agree it's better than an open date.
That's why the two are hooking up in a rare home-and-home regular season series beginning tonight at Seneca, located way down in southwest Missouri near Joplin.
Osage will load up the long bus ride in preparation for a 7 p.m. kickoff between two tribes of Indians.
"We were dropped by Moberly after the last (scheduling) cycle," said Osage head coach Devin Johnson. "We just had to find a game. It was just one of those deals."
"The game was added before I was hired," said Seneca first-year head coach Ryan McFarland. "I know our athletic director was trying to find a quality opponent. You don't necessarily want to play someone three hours away, but it is someone new."
Both teams are coming off impressive victories in their respective season-openers, as Osage held on to defeat Fulton 28-21 while Seneca blasted Nevada 41-14.
With both head coaches unfamiliar with the other's program, they are surely gazing at much film and calling as many coaching buddies as possible to glean all the information they can.
"They were in the Dome (Show-Me Bowl) a few years ago," Johnson said of Seneca. "Traditionally they have been up and down from year to year. I know their community really supports their student-athletes and they have a new coach who comes from some good programs.
"They're going to run the ball about 80 percent of the time with the inside and outside veer. They're a split-back team and have a tight end in most of the time. And they look to be one of the biggest teams I've played against."
"I've talked to a few coaches about them," McFarland said of Osage. "They have a handful of skill players back and that seems to be a strength. The key for us will be to try to match up with those skill players."
Johnson said Seneca's sheer physical size is his main concern. The team's roster includes players weighing in at 310, 285, 265, 265, 260, 250, 245 and 240 pounds
"It's probably the size of their offensive linemen," he said. "It's going to be a matchup of our speed and athletes against their size. It all starts up front for them."
Seneca pounded Nevada for 425 yards of total offense - most of that on the ground. Seneca rushed for 301 yards, with senior running back/receiver Spencer Brattin leading a balanced attack with 126 rushing yards on 10 carries, including a 47-yard breakaway touchdown. Junior Cole Hatfield ran for 71 yards and two touchdowns while senior Lance Hymer rushed for 53 yards.
Seneca sophomore quarterback Gavin Klouse hit 4-of-5 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, with senior wideout Zack Dunham catching three of those passes for 120 yards and both scores.
"Our first week went better than expected," McFarland said. "Our new offense is very different than the one they used in the past. We came out and executed very well and the kids played hard. Execution-wise we have a long way to go. But to score 40 points and get 400 yards in the first game, you've got to be happy with that."
Osage, which was ranked No. 9 in last week's Missouri Media Class 3 State Poll but dropped out of the rankings this week, is also coming off a huge offensive performance, having torched Fulton for 481 offensive yards, including 331 rushing.
"I'm happy with the things we did, happy with the effort and happy we won the game," Johnson said. "There are things we can clean up, like turnovers and defensively getting off the field on third down. We can't give extra possessions to opponents."
Junior running back Nick Riley erupted for 212 rushing yards on 18 carries for Osage last week and also intercepted a pass in the endzone with 30 seconds remaining to clinch the win.
Also for Osage, senior Dylan Riley rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns while junior QB Zach Wheeler connected on 10-of-20 passes for 114 yards. Senior wideout Jason Edwards caught four passes for 51 yards and on a double-pass was credited with a 36-yard TD pass. Junior Drake Gaines caught three passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
At linebacker, Nick Riley led Osage with 11 tackles while senior lineman Jacob Mason had 10 tackles - eight solo - and one sack.
"Obviously, Nick Riley had a big game for them, averaging about 12 yards a carry," McFarland said. "That's something we've got to slow down. Edwards and Gaines are two physical receivers who are able to make a lot of plays."
As much as he hates to, Johnson said he'll have to tweak the pre-game routine due to the long trip.
"I'm a routine guy, but we've got to do something a little different," he said. "When you go that far you can't ask a kid to sit on a bus for three straight hours. We'll get off and eat together as a team halfway there. We're going to do as much of our normal routine as possible, but we're going to adjust."
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