The SoBoCo Eagles kick off the season tonight at North Callaway and, after a bit of a battle, should come away with a win.
First games are something that all players look forward to and most coaches somewhat dread. First game jitters lead to first game mistakes – and the first game is very often lost by one team more than the other team playing well and winning.
However, the Southern Boone Eagles (9-3 last year) come into tonight’s contest confident and ready to play.
The Eagles defeated the Thunderbirds last year 48-20 as they threw for 279 yards. While the point spread might not be that wide this year, the Eagles certainly won’t gain as much passing yardage. They won’t need to.
With the powerful one-two punch of Jackson Sartain and Cooper Mange in the backfield and more than 1,200-lbs of offensive line, the Eagles are capable of bulldozing their way down the field against every opponent on their schedule.
And don’t forget the running ability of Seth Mueller.
The new SoBoCo starting quarterback dazzled everyone with a 16-yard scramble in last Friday’s jamboree – breaking two tackles and making three other Trailblazers simply miss him – and shows plenty of promise with his running ability.
The Eagles will miss starting guard Charlie Smith tonight due to a knee injury and center Brett Price (concussion) will be a game-time decision.
The Eagles defense will need to contain the T-birds running game and cover senior receiver Austin Edwards, who scored 5 TDs last season, and junior Dawson Wright, who had three receiving scores last year. SoBoCo looked susceptible to the long pass in the jamboree and this could be a key to the game.
Thunderbirds senior Adam Reno will be one of the best individual players the Eagles see all season. The All District player had 614 yards on the ground and 400-yards receiving last year, leading North Callaway to a 7-3 record.
Linebacker Jordan Delashmutt leads the North Callaway defense, but the SoBoCo offensive line – with Blake Wooden, Dominic Lawrence and Brady Holton leading the charge – should dominate this game.
Did we mention Parker Boyce?
The Eagles junior kicker is listed as a top kicker in Missouri and among the top juniors in the nation. In other words, another scoring threat for the Eagles inside of 45-yards.
Look for a close game in the first half as both teams settle in for a new season. But look for the Eagles offensive line wear down North Callaway in the second half.
Prediction – Southern Boone 33 – North Callaway 13
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