ELDON, Mo. - Eldon head coach Shannon Jolley said he isn't concerned with who will or will not play tonight.
Regardless, he knows his Mustangs are in for a battle when they travel to Wardsville to take on Blair Oaks in a clash of unbeaten, state-ranked Tri-County Conference foes (7 p.m. kickoff).
Both teams bring 3-0 overall and 1-0 conference records into tonight's game. The Blair Oaks Falcons are No. 2 in this week's Missouri Media Rankings Class 3 state poll while Eldon is tied for No. 7.
In their respective Tri-County openers last week, Eldon whipped Southern Boone - ranked No. 6 in the state at the time - 29-7 while Blair Oaks knocked off Versailles 34-14.
However, it was a costly victory for the Falcons, who lost standout junior quarterback Nolan Hair in the first quarter to a right leg injury. Hair is expected to be out several weeks.
The hub of the Falcon offense, Hair had passed for 721 yards and rushed for 215 yards this season before going down.
His replacement figures to be freshman backup Cade Stockman, who finished out last week's game.
There were some adjustments with Stockman. After scoring on their first three possessions, the Falcons had some problems against Versailles. Blair Oaks was whistled for 13 penalties totaling 94 yards and fumbled nine times, losing two.
Jolley said it doesn't matter - it's the defending multi-time conference champion and perennial state-power Blair Oaks on its home turf on the other side of the ball.
"I don't know what else you could ask for," Jolley said. "We're playing well and have got the opportunity to play one of the best Class 3 teams in the state."
Even without Hair, Jolley expects Blair Oaks to be potent.
"They're just technically sound and they play hard," he said. "They've done some progressive things offensively and defensively they do it on determination and effort.
"I know they're frustrated with the Hair injury, but they're still really good and they will do some good things without him. They do a good job of putting themselves in good positions. They're very well-coached and their kids are studious and have had success."
The Falcons, who have a 27-2 record in three years under head coach Terry Walker, will probably rely heavily on sophomore running back Riley Lentz with Hair sidelined.
Lentz put up career-high numbers last week against Versailles with 24 carries for 141 yards and four touchdowns. On the season, Lentz has rushed for 265 yards on 53 attempts and scored six touchdowns.
Stockman's favorite target in the passing game will probably be junior wideout Ben Thomas.
And Walker will depend on a defense that has allowed just 13.3 points per game this season to come up big again tonight.
The Falcon defense will be trying to slow down the Mustang wing-T offense that has been clicking along nicely so far. With the 72-69 slugfest victory against Owensville throwing the averages out of wack, Eldon is averaging 43.7 points per game and allowing an average of 30.3 points.
The Isaiah Boys continue to lead the charge for Eldon, as senior halfback Isaiah Merida has rushed for 610 yards on 68 carries with nine touchdowns, while junior fullback Isaiah Parsons has rushed for 292 yards on 70 carries and seven TDs.
Also for the Mustangs, junior quarterback Dawson Brandt has hit on 3-of-9 passes for 132 yards, one interception and two touchdowns while rushing for 97 yards on 23 attempts. And senior wingback Trenton Dillon has 173 yards on 10 carries and has caught both TD passes for 95 yards.
"It's been a lot of fun," Jolley said of the Mustangs' three-game run to start the campaign. "And what has added to that enjoyment is that they were three good teams we played. And now we have Blair Oaks. This is exactly what we want, tough games to prepare us for Week 10."
He certainly has it this week; minus one important player.