ELDON, Mo. - The rematch is on.
The Eldon Mustangs and Owensville Dutchmen have met in the regular season and playoffs a few times in recent years.
However, this time Eldon is at home.
Eldon gets another shot at Owensville tonight after falling to the Dutchmen twice in 2016. Kickoff at Eldon is set for 7 p.m.
The Mustangs are coming off a 30-15 nonconference victory against Boonville in their season opener, which included a two-hour lightning delay. Owensville, ranked No. 6 in last week's Missouri Media Rankings Class 3 state poll, was shocked by Potosi 38-34. The loss knocked the Dutchmen out of this week's rankings.
Owensville suffered a couple of costly injuries during the game. Potosi ended in a rush, scoring two touchdowns in the final 1:36, including the game-winner after the Dutchmen attempted to pitch the ball when a running back was trying to avoid a tackle and it was picked off by Potosi, who went on to score the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds.
Last year at Owensville, the Dutchmen defeated the Mustangs 48-27 in a lightning-delayed Week 2 game. And in the district championship contest, the Dutchmen eliminated the Mustangs with a 47-27 victory.
"I love playing good competition," Eldon head coach Shannon Jolley said. "Playing quality competition is exciting. We haven't played them here, it will be nice to be at home."
Eldon's wing-T offensive attack was effective last week, as senior running back Isaiah Merida rushed for 161 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns, while junior fullback Isaiah Parsons ran for 111 yards on 28 carries and two scores.
Junior quarterback Dawson Brandt hit both of his passes for 53 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown completion to senior wingback Trenton Dillon.
Last week's game was delayed with six minutes remaining in the third period and there was a two-hour wait before play resumed.
"Considering all the situations with the lightning delay, we were pretty pleased," Jolley said. "Our kids stayed focused and stayed on task. We talked over some things and tried to spend the two hours constructively.
"The thing I was pleased with the most was we came out and put together an 18-play drive to start the season. We ran the ball and did some base run stuff really well. We got comfortable and when you can get settled in and do what you want, that's a big deal. We had a couple of defensive missteps and some communication issues. The only score they had was on a kickoff return. We need the defense to improve the tackling a little."
The hub of the Owensville offensive attack is senior quarterback Wyatt Ellis, one of the most effective quarterbacks in the state last season when he passed for 2,421 yards and 33 touchdowns and rushed for 1,112 yards and 12 touchdowns.
During last week's game, Ellis stretched a nerve in his throwing shoulder in the first quarter and missed some time before returning to the game. He is expected to be fine this week.
However, the Dutchmen suffered a huge loss when senior receiver/safety/return man Dustin Faragher suffered a collarbone injury and didn't return. He is expected to be sidelined tonight.
Senior running back Tanner Recker rushed for 119 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown last week and caught four passes for 118 yards and a touchdown for Owensville. Ellis hit on 12-of-24 passes for 216 yards, a touchdown and an interception while rushing for 92 yards on 12 carries and a pair of touchdowns.
"I think they're better than last year," Jolley said of Owensville. "Ellis seems like a great student-athlete with a great attitude. I don't think there is a time on the field he doesn't think he can't make a play. We did not tackle well against him the first time last year and he just outplayed us in the second game. He's one of the top quarterbacks in the state.
"They have got three or four players with tremendous speed and skill set. They have a couple of great receivers and great running backs. And people don't talk about it, but their punt and kickoff return teams are great."