MOKANE, Mo. - The state-ranked South Callaway Bulldogs will receive the kind of test they need to see if they've patched up their pass defense.
South Callaway - coming off a 55-7 throttling of Milan last week - stays at home for a second straight week when it starts Eastern Missouri Conference play tonight against the Wright City Wildcats. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs, off to a 2-0 start, remained at No. 7 in this week's Class 2 Missouri Media Rankings.
Wright City (1-1) suffered its first loss of the season last week in a narrow 31-28 setback at Class 3 state-ranked Southern Boone. The Wildcats will challenge South Callaway with a high-powered spread attack that is averaging 312 yards passing.
The Bulldogs' defense was pierced by Tolton junior quarterback Robert Hunter for 278 yards passing and three touchdowns in the Aug. 18 season opener in Columbia. South Callaway eventually rallied for a 25-19 double-overtime win.
Wright City has surely pored over that game film and will try to gouge the Bulldogs through the air tonight with three- and four-receiver sets.
"They like to throw the ball and they've got the weapons to do it," South Callaway head coach Zack Hess said. "All of their receivers are really good players - they have speed, athleticism."
Looking to get the ball into the hands of those receivers for the Wildcats will be quarterback Sean McDonald, a 6-foot-1, 171-pound senior. McDonald has already completed 35-of-57 passes (61 percent) for 624 yards and five touchdowns this season, but has also thrown four interceptions.
McDonald leads Wright City in rushing with 142 yards (6.5 average) and two scores.
"He does it all, he just looks very composed," Hess said. "He gets his reads and they've designed some running plays for him, specifically, that's hard to defend because they mix it in well with some other run plays that look similar to it.
"He's a big kid, looks like a very good athlete. He even looks bigger than that on film. He's got a really good arm, he can throw on the run."
McDonald's main target is senior wide receiver Devon Holmes (6-1, 175), who has a team-high 16 catches for 389 yards (24.3 average) and three touchdowns. Fellow senior wide receiver Trevon Holmes (6-1, 165) has four receptions for 108 yards (27.0 average) and a score.
"No. 3 (Devon Holmes) is a great receiver and he knows it," Hess said. "He's going to make some plays."
Hess noted the Bulldogs' secondary and linebackers will have to guard against throws of all length by McDonald tonight.
"Our guys are going to have to stay on top of the receiver on the deep ball," Hess said, "but they're also going to have to be able to come up and make plays in space with the short screens, the short game, the intermediate routes."
South Callaway found its rhythm on offense against Milan last week, amassing 407 total yards and not committing any turnovers. The Bulldogs tallied 274 yards rushing as four different players ran for scores.
Junior running back Peyton Leeper had touchdown runs of 5 and 8 yards, while connecting with senior wide receiver Jarrett Livengood on a 73-yard touchdown pass. Senior running back Kaden Helsel scored on runs of 15 and 32 yards for South Callaway, while senior quarterback Landon Horstman supplied touchdown runs of 1 and 25 yards.
Senior running back Dalton Stone added a 17-yard touchdown run and topped the Bulldogs with 90 yards rushing.
"They just put it all together Friday night," Hess said. "It was just a crisp, clean offensive game. After that first series they just kind of settled down.
"They seemed to develop the chemistry that they had towards the end of the season last year."
South Callaway will seek to maintain its rushing success against a Wright City defense that will set up in both 3-4 and 3-5 alignments, according to Hess.
"I think establishing the run against this team is going to be really important, because we definitely do not want to get into a passing battle," Hess said. "... The longer that our offense can stay on the field and extend drives, and eat up clock, and keep their offense off the field will be even better."
Hess is downplaying the fact that the Bulldogs tonight will begin defense of an EMO title they captured in perfect fashion last year. South Callaway also secured a perfect championship in its first year as a conference member in 2014, en route to an appearance in the Class 2 state championship game.
"We're just trying to forge ahead, we're not really, 'Hey, we're the defending conference champions,'" Hess said. "I think they understand there's a different feel to a conference game."
Related media:
South Callaway Bulldogs Football Podcast [Wright City preview, Sept. 1, 2017]