VERSAILLES - A pair of Tri-County Conference squads coming off impressive victories collide head-on tonight when the Versailles Tigers host the Boonville Pirates.
Kickoff at Versailles is set for 7 p.m.
Both teams come in 3-2 overall and 2-1 in league play. Versailles is coming off a dominating 38-0 victory against California while Boonville crushed School of the Osage 41-7.
And both head coaches feel tonight's clash is key to how the Tri-County standings will end up.
"When you speak of the conference, it's a given Blair Oaks is head and shoulders above everybody else," said Boonville head coach Greg Hough. "The rest has been Jekyll and Hyde. We're a team learning as we go. We've got to figure out how to maintain a high-level of play. Throughout the year I feel defensively we've played well."
"I really think Boonville is pretty comparable with Southern Boone in our conference," Versailles head coach Broc Silvers said. "I feel No. 2 through No. 7 in the conference can beat each other in the conference."
Silvers is highly impressed with what Hough has accomplished in his first season as Boonville's head coach.
"I can't believe how well they execute with a new coach," Silvers said. "Greg is doing a great job over there. He's got good receivers, tailback and line. To me this game would mean as much as beating (state-ranked) Southern Boone right now."
The Pirates have suffered shutout losses to 4-1 Pleasant Hill and undefeated Blair Oaks this fall. In their other three games they are averaging 44.3 points per game, while giving up a total of just three touchdowns.
Junior quarterback Nick Ferrari has completed 41-of-73 passes for 625 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions for Boonville. Junior wideout Treveon Coleman is his top target with 15 receptions for 222 and three TDs.
The Pirates also have one of the most respected running backs in the league in junior Avian Thomas, who has rushed for 533 yards on 93 attempts and seven TDs.
Senior linebacker Landon Weaver paces the Pirate defense with 50 tackles while junior linebacker Josh Polk has 35, senior end Brandon Johnson 29 and sophomore linebacker Lane West 27. Boonville has recorded nine sacks - three each by Johnson and West.
"Boonville's offense is dynamic," Silvers said. "The quarterback distributes the ball well and I think their running back is the best in the conference. Thomas is a true tailback; he even made Blair Oaks miss in the rain.
"Defensively they do a good job of adjusting and lining up in different formations. They're a base-four (man front) but are a true multiple formation team. And they bring quite a bit of pressure. They are not senior-heavy, so they'll be good again next year."
Versailles' offensive uptick continued last week. Except for being shut out by Blair Oaks, the Tigers have scored at least 30 points in each of their other four outings. In those four games Versailles is averaging 33.3 points.
Versailles has given up a lot of points, although their two defeats have come against undefeated teams (Knob Noster, Blair Oaks). So far, the Tigers are allowing 29.6. Obviously, last week's shutout of California was their best performance to date.
"Versailles' quarterback (junior Coby Williams) is very good," Hough said. "Probably one of the best in the conference. They are very multiple in the spread. The quarterback is a true dual-threat kid and they have impressed me with their pass concepts. Obviously, the No. 1 thing we've got to stop is the quarterback.
"Defensively it's one of those difficult games for me to prepare for. I don't know what they'll respond to as far as what we do. We're going to see some things a little different than we've seen so far this season. We'll probably see a lot of different looks."
Williams has hit on 54-of-94 passes for 672 yards, four interceptions and six touchdowns while rushing for 524 yards on 97 carries and nine touchdowns.
Also for the Tigers senior running back Michael Trotter has rushed for 230 yards on 52 carries. Senior receiver Wyatt Espinsoa has caught 18 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns while junior wideout Dallas Waller has 16 catches for 143 yards.
"I expected us to be better in the passing game in completion percentage," Silvers said of last week. "We missed high on a couple of attempts and had a couple of drops. Other than that I thought we won every phase of the game."
Trotter, a linebacker, paces the Tigers in tackles by a wide margin, with 46 solos and 18 assists. Senior safety Colbey Boicourt has 24.5 tackles and junior linebacker Brycen Reynolds 18.5 tackles. Trotter has 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Boicourt and Williams, a safety, each have two interceptions.