Prep Football: Eldon hosting Hallsville in prep for postseason

Eldon running back Jordan Metz attempts to pull away from School of the Osage's James McCann during last Friday's game in Osage Beach.
Eldon running back Jordan Metz attempts to pull away from School of the Osage's James McCann during last Friday's game in Osage Beach.

ELDON - The final dress rehearsal is here before the upcoming district tournaments begin, and both Eldon and Hallsville are hoping to use tonight's Tri-County Conference game as a positive tuneup for next week's first-round matchups.

The Hallsville Indians travel to Eldon to take on the Mustangs tonight. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Both teams bring in 4-4 overall records, with Eldon being 3-3 and Hallsville 2-4 in league play.

After eight weeks it's still not clear who either the Mustangs or Indians will play in the opening of their respective district tournaments next Friday.

Currently Eldon is No. 6 in the Class 3 District 3 standings with 30.54 points. Unbeaten Owensville leads Class 3 District 3 with 46.27 points.

Hallsville is No. 5 in Class 2 District 5 with 33.86 points, well behind unbeaten, district-leading South Callaway's 48.89 points.

And there is room for much movement in both districts standings, so a victory for Eldon or Hallsville could play big in the eventual Week 10 matchups.

"It looks like there might be some shuffling this week," said Hallsville coach Ty Harrison. "We could be playing North Callaway, Hermann or possibly Brentwood. There could be a lot of shifting."

"I try not to get too much ahead," said Eldon coach Shannon Jolley. "We'll try to sort it out when we get there; we'll just wait and see."

Eldon will be taking on a Hallsville squad which has shown both offensive explosion (51-6 against Warsaw) and a stout defense (6-0 against Versailles) in victories the previous two weeks.

"Coming into Week 9 we're facing a Hallsville team a lot better than their record shows," said Jolley, whose squad clipped the Indians 21-14 last year. "They can make plays all over the field and have the ability to get to the end zone in a hurry.

"When I look at them they're extremely young wanting to put together complete games. They have two down linemen, (junior Ben) Westhues and (senior Andy) Borland, who have really got motors. And (senior Jadon) Kilpack and (sophomore B.J.) Fisher might be two of the better returners in the conference."

Pacing the Hallsville spread offense is sophomore quarterback Zane Parnell, who has completed 74-of-198 passes for 1,089 yards, 14 interceptions and 10 touchdowns. He has a trio of capable receivers in Kilpack with 22 receptions for 259 yards and four touchdowns; Fisher with 15 catches for 406 yards and four touchdowns, and senior Cole Hubbard with 15 catches for 129 yards.

Junior running back DQ Smith paces the Indian ground game with 329 yards on 103 carries and five TDs.

Kilpack, a defensive back, leads the Hallsville defense with 49 tackles and five interceptions while Smith, a defensive back, has 44 tackles; Westhues 40 tackles, including 12 for losses; senior linebacker Parker Bartlett 38 tackles, and sophomore defensive back Jarrett Ballard 36 tackles. Fisher has three interceptions.

"We would like to get that third (straight) win going into district," Harrison said. "At the same time you want to come out of it healthy. We have a young team and a lot of our deal is being confident in what we're doing. When you have success the confidence level rises in young kids."

Jolley is hoping to eventually get healthy, although he says it probably won't be this week.

Returning leading rusher Trenton Kidwell (leg) and standout offensive lineman Jasey Brandt (knee), both seniors, were hurt in the season opener and haven't returned. And senior starting quarterback Austin Kempker went down with an ankle injury two weeks ago.

"We hope to get some guys back for Week 10," Jolley said. "We have some guys going to the doctor (yesterday). We just want them to heal properly."

Sophomore fullback Isaiah Parsons paces the Mustangs' wing-T attack with 576 rushing yards on 122 attempts and eight touchdowns while junior tailback Isaiah Merida has 474 yards on 78 carries and five touchdowns, and junior back Trenton Dillon 146 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns.

If Kempker (295 passing yards) is sidelined, sophomore Dawson Brandt, who started in last week's 32-6 loss to Osage, will again sub for him. Senior tight end Jacob Whittle paces Eldon in receptions with 10 for 240 yards and four touchdowns.

Parsons, a linebacker, has 106 tackles, including 39 solo and 16 for losses, to lead the Mustang defense while Dawson Brandt has 92 tackles, including 41 solo and 7.5 for losses; junior linebacker Cole Walker 79 tackles (15 solo), and Dillon, a linebacker, has 52 tackles including 23 solo, 12 for losses and 7.5 QB sacks.

"They run the ball so well," Harrison said of Eldon. "And they do a great job of changing it up; they don't give a lot away in the run game. They pick their spots to throw the ball and do it well. It will be another big challenge for us."