Eagles look for Homecoming win

Southern Boone looks to make it two wins in a row when the host the Warsaw Wildcats in a homecoming football game tonight at 7 p.m.

The Eagles put 49 points on the board last week at California and should have the ability to score with similar frequency against a Warsaw team that is somewhat of a mystery.

But by no means are they the Warsaw team of recent years that was considered an automatic win.

Last week the Wildcats upset Hallsville 40-33. Yep, that’s the same Hallsville squad that defeated SoBoCo earlier this season with a last-minute TD pass.

But two weeks ago the Wildcats were blown out at Eldon by an 82-48 score.

Coach Trent Tracy said the scores are more of an indicator of Tri-County Conference parity than anything else.

“We know Blair Oaks is as good as ever and a couple of teams are really young,” Tracy said, “but when you look at us, Eldon, Hallsville, Osage and now Warsaw – those are teams that can pull off a win on any Friday night. This will not be an easy game if we think they are going to come out and hand it to us.”

The Wildcats offense is athletic and can put points on board. Led by running back Kieon Davis and Keegan Glenn, the Wildcats have put up 500 yards of offense each of their last two games. Quarterback Matt Luebbert threw for 215 yards on Eldon and more than 200 yards against Hallsville. He will be a real challenge for the Eagles secondary, throwing the ball to Jayden Schepker deep and his running backs out in the flat. While SoBoCo’s Sam Stichnote and Tanner Goodrich will have to watch for the deep pass, the Eagles linebackers must have a good game tonight and guard against Davis and Glenn catching the ball out in the flat. A key to the game will be the play of SoBoCo linebackers Ty Varvil and Jackson Sartain.

On the Eagles offense, Tracy is ready to simply make the Wildcats stop the SoBoCo ground game for four quarters.

The Wildcats do not have a lot of depth and running backs Sartain, Cooper Mange, Colby Phillips and Tristan John will pound the visitors all night long. The Wildcats do not have a lot of depth – Warsaw canceled Monday’s JV game due to injuries – which could make a difference in the fourth quarter.

While time of possession may not be a factor tonight, turnovers and special teams can always make a difference.

The Eagles special teams have quickly become the best in the Tri-County Conference, not just because of Parker Boyce’s kicking, but Boyce returned a kickoff for a TD last week and the Eagles’ kick and punt coverage has been very good this season.

Look for SoBoCo to work to keep the Wildcats offense off the field and look for Warsaw to try and get Davis loose on the outside – then throw deep.

It will be an Eagles win, but it could be another wild one. Bring your umbrella and look for a SoBoCo 44-38 victory.

Prediction: SoBoCo 45, California 12