On Monday, the first Missouri State Soccer Power Rankings were unveiled, and Southern Boone was not surprised to find itself in the top spot in Class 1. As the team enters the final weeks of the regular season, it knows it has much to play for. That evening, the Canton Tigers (3-5-2) made the lengthy drive from northeast MO to face the Eagles. It was a district match up, and the Eagles sought to accomplish two things: make a statement, and play a lot of players. They accomplished both with an 8-0 mercy rule victory.

The first score came less than four minutes in on a patented Grant Hoehne throw-in that a charging Ethan Esry played off his chest and into the net. Six minutes later, the Eagles won the ball in the defensive half of the field, then Gavin Blackburn moved it through the midfield until he sent a perfectly placed through pass to Jack McCluskey that he easily rolled past the keeper for a 2-0 lead. In less than a minute, that scoring sequence was duplicated, but this time it was Jack Bigos moving the ball through the midfield before feeding Blackburn for an easy score. With 16:10 left in the half, freshman Hunter Wyatt pushed the ball up the left sideline and found senior Ben Turner who made an excellent centering pass that Kaden Schupp ran onto for a one-touch shot and score. The half ended with the Eagles up 4-0.

~ Read more in today’s Journal ~