Southern Boone falls to Odessa in season opener

By Joseph Pastilha

Southern Boone senior Pryce Bonnot, right, goes to take down Odessa junior Cole Westerhold, center, on Aug. 29, 2025, at Odessa High School in Odessa, Mo. Despite Southern Boone’s defense, Westerhold still scored the touchdown.

Odessa scored just 48 seconds into the game, taking a lead it wouldn’t relinquish, as Southern Boone fell 28-13 to open the season Friday night in Odessa.

On the opening play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Mason Shearer was intercepted, setting up the Bulldogs on the Eagles’ 21-yard line. It took Odessa just three plays to take an early 6-0 lead.

“His heart and his effort was never in question tonight,” Southern Boone coach Tyler Tanner said. “Mason, I felt like did a great job of responding from the first play of the game and continued to fight. And, you know, that’s all you can ask for.”

Odessa controlled the game, expanding its lead to 28-0 with 6:18 left in the third.

Despite the deficit, Southern Boone battled. The Eagles mounted an 80-yard drive that lasted more than six minutes, capped by a Shearer 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 28-6.

“Mason’s made great leaps and bounds over the course of the summer and early in the season,” Tanner said. “He has the ability to extend plays with his legs, keep his eyes down field and find receivers with the ability to run and get us some tough yards with his legs whenever protection does breakdown.”

Senior Hudson Talley was a bright spot for Southern Boone on both sides of the ball, logging an interception and a touchdown reception.

Southern Boone senior Mason Shearer, center, catches the hike on Aug. 29, 2025, at Odessa High School in Odessa, Mo. Shearer threw one of Southern Boone’s two touchdowns.

“He’s taken this new position and ran with it in stride,” Tanner said. “We love the fact that he’s back there, love getting him the ball. … He’s electric back there and just such a hard worker and a tough-nosed football player.”

Defensively, the Eagles were led by senior defensive end Hayden Endsley. Endsley recorded multiple tackles for a loss and added a blocked punt late in the fourth quarter that lead to Shearer’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Talley, cutting the lead to 28-12 with 52 seconds left.

“He’s really good for us. He does a lot of great things, puts a lot of pressure on offenses and quarterbacks,” Tanner said. “That kid plays hard, with passion and energy, and continues to talk and be a leader on the field defensively.”

Southern Boone will look to next week and a chance to even its record at 1-1.

“Don’t know that we want to erase it from our memory as much as we want to get on that field, learn from our mistakes, see what we can do better,” Tanner said.

The Eagles next take the field against Mexico (0-1) at 7 p.m. Friday in Mexico.