With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, high school football teams across Missouri are starting to turn their attention to possible first-round matchups in the district tournaments.
It's time to heal up and polish up to prepare for the playoff push. And that's what will be on the minds of Tri-County Conference rivals Versailles and Eldon when they clash tonight as the Tigers travel to Eldon to take on the Mustangs. Kickoff for the Mustangs' Senior Night is 7 p.m.
Both teams come in with 4-3 overall records. The Tigers are 3-2 in conference play while the Mustangs are 2-3 in the Tri-County.
Versailles is coming off a 29-13 victory against School of the Osage, while Eldon fell to Boonville 34-21 last week.
Versailles goes into tonight's contest third in Class 2 District 4. As expected, defending state champion and undefeated Lamar heads the district standings with 57.29 points. El Dorado Springs is second at 45.48, Versailles third at 38.76, Sarcoxie fourth at 33.91, Warsaw fifth at 25.86, East Newton sixth at 22.71, Butler seventh at 21.38 and Stockton eighth at 18.48.
"Sarcoxie is in position to catch us in district," Versailles head coach Broc Silvers said. "We don't want that. We've just got to go out and take care of business."
Eldon is currently fourth in the Class 3 District 5 standings. Springfield Catholic leads the district with 42.62 points while Buffalo is second at 37.38, St. James third at 34.33, Eldon fourth at 32.71, Salem fifth at 27.84, Owensville sixth at 27.84, Osage seventh at 20.1 and Logan-Rogersville eighth at 16.71.
"In a district as wide open as ours, these games are very important for seeding," Eldon head coach Chad Hult said. "Hopefully we can continue to get people back."
The Mustangs are still banged up but hoping to round into form at the right time. Last week, Eldon met a red-hot Boonville squad that won its fourth straight game.
Like many teams this season, Eldon had problems slowing down Boonville running back Avian Thomas, who pounded the rock for 207 yards on 18 carries and three TDs. The Mustangs were also burned with a 73-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Ferrari to Tramell Coleman.
Junior Collin Tamm continued to sub for senior Dawson Brandt at quarterback for Eldon, as Brandt is slowly returning from a knee injury - he played defense-only last week.
The Mustangs had success moving the ball against Boonville. Tamm completed 8-for-19 passes for 110 yards and two TDs. Senior fullback Isaiah Parsons rushed for 111 yards and junior running back Logan Hall ran for 85 yards and caught three passes for 82 yards.
"Boonville played extremely well," Hult said. "They're big, strong and physical. We got down early and they got some momentum. Up front they played more physical than us."
Versailles once again rode the talents of its junior quarterback Coby Williams as he rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns while completing 10-of-14 passes for 75 yards against School of the Osage.
The Tigers compiled nearly 400 yards of total offense, including 300 on the ground.
"We played well," Silvers said. "Our offensive and defensive lines played well, it all worked out for us. On the line, we have some guys who are just getting a little older. It's the first time we haven't had to play a bunch of young guys on the line.
"(Osage) gave us a little trouble with their speed option. We gifted them a couple of first downs, that was the most disappointing thing."
The Tigers have 2,222 yards of total offense this season while averaging 25.1 points per game and allowing an average of 29.0.
Williams now has 710 rushing yards on 133 attempts and 12 touchdowns while completing 84-of-140 passes for 976 yards, five interceptions and eight touchdowns. His top targets are senior wideout Wyatt Espinosa with 29 receptions for 366 yards and six TDs and junior wideout Dallas Waller with 25 catches for 228 yards.
Senior running back Michael Trotter has 348 yards on 76 carries and has caught six passes for 83 yards.
Trotter, a linebacker, is one of the area's top tacklers with 92.5, which includes 14 for loss and three sacks. Senior safety Colbey Boicourt has 31.5 tackles and two interceptions.
But it's Williams who has the Mustangs' full attention.
"The one thing that always stands out is the Williams kid," Hult said. "He's a dynamic kid who can get you running or passing. And he has some outstanding playmakers. You want to take his ability to run and scramble out of the equation. But he throws well, too.
"Defensively, their kids are more physical this year. And their offense has improved, so the defense is not on the field as much."
It is unclear if Brandt will return under center for Eldon this week. He has rushed for 467 yards (7.2 avg.) and four touchdowns while throwing for 158 yards and a TD. While playing for Brandt, Tamm has completed 13-of-25 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns. But he is not nearly the running threat as the athletic Brandt.
Parsons paces the Mustangs' wing-T attack with 710 rushing yards (5.1 avg.) and eight touchdowns and five receptions while Hall has 522 rushing yards (5.3) and is the team's top receiver with 12 catches for 236 yards and four TDs.
Parsons, Brandt and junior lineman Kaden Dillon are 1-2-3 in tackles for the Mustang defense, with 43, 42 and 41 respectively. Parsons has seven tackles for loss and Brandt has picked off three passes.
"Brandt and Parsons are one of the top quarterback/running back combos in our conference," Silvers said. "Dawson is a much better runner and probably a better leader and Tamm probably throws the ball better. But they're run-first. I'm sure on Senior Night Brandt is going to want to play quarterback.
"On defense, typically they bring more guys than you can handle. Our goal this week is to get four or five yards on first down and not let them get settled in. With the man-to-man scheme they play, it's almost like bringing the house on every play."