Eldon looks to even its record on the road tonight at Warsaw

Eldon quarterback Austin Kempker drops back for a pass during a game against California earlier this month.
Eldon quarterback Austin Kempker drops back for a pass during a game against California earlier this month.

ELDON, Mo. - The Eldon Mustangs snapped a losing slide last week.

The Warsaw Wildcats will be attempting to do the same this week.

Eldon will travel tonight to Warsaw for Tri-County Conference action. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Eldon ended a three-game losing streak last week when it clipped California 15-8 to improve to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference. Warsaw fell to 0-5 and 0-3 by falling to Versailles 35-14 a week ago.

"This is a big game for us," said Eldon coach Shannon Jolley. "We'll try to get back to .500 and move up in the district standings.

"It's been a difficult season. We've got some issues as far as injuries I haven't dealt with before. I think we're close to being pretty good. Just a few things have got to happen."

And Jolley isn't putting any stock into Warsaw's record, as the Wildcats have shown the ability to be a force offensively.

"There is no game we can't be careful with," Jolley said. "They do some really good things. They've found a niche on their inside run stuff. They're a lot better team than their record."

Mistakes in the form of penalties and turnovers have burned the young Wildcats often this fall. Warsaw committed a combined eight turnovers the past two weeks, which has played a big role in the squad allowing an average of 38.4 points per game.

Wildcat sophomore quarterback Matt Luebbert has completed 24-of-53 passes for 366 yards, six interceptions and three touchdowns while rushing for 198 yards on 41 carries and two touchdowns.

Senior wideout Trenton Simons has 13 receptions for 202 yards and two touchdowns and junior wideout Jayden Schepker five catches for 73 yards.

Junior running back Keegan Glenn paces Warsaw in rushing with 448 yards on 101 carries and two touchdowns while sophomore fullback Eli Hawkins has 208 yards on 43 carries and a TD.

Last week the Warsaw touchdowns came on an 8-yard run by Glenn and a 4-yard pass from Luebbert to Simons.

The Warsaw defense will have to improve against the running game.

"Versailles just ran the ball on us," Warsaw head coach Paul Thomas said of last week. "They had 400 yards rushing on us."

Senior linebacker Michael Pierce leads the Wildcats in tackles with 54 (30 solo) while senior lineman Dakota Bilderback has 45 tackles (30 solo) and sophomore defensive back Dalton Nichols 31 (22). As a team Warsaw has just one sack and two interceptions.

"Their inside run and option game is good," Jolley said of Warsaw. "They're coached very well. Their backs run really hard. I've watched a lot of teams try to tackle them high and not have much success."

Last week Eldon rallied for the win late, getting the game-winning TD in the fourth quarter on a 52-yard pass from senior quarterback Austin Kempker to senior tight end Jacob Whittle. California later drove inside the Mustang 10 yardline with :30 remaining. However, Eldon forced a turnover to seal the victory.

"(California) was a really good football team," Jolley said. "I'm proud of how the kids came back in the second half. I think both teams played well."

Sophomore fullback Isaiah Parsons leads the Mustang offense with 404 rushing yards on 82 carries with four touchdowns while junior tailback Isaiah Merida has 221 yards on 51 carries and a TD.

Kempker has completed 13-of-33 passes for 250 yards, two interceptions and four touchdowns. Whittle has six receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

Parsons tops Eldon with 69 tackles (23 solo), including 11.5 tackles for losses. Also for the Mustangs sophomore Dawson Brandt has 51 tackles (19 solo) with an interception; junior linebacker Cole Walker 49 tackles, and junior linebacker Trenton Dillon 41 tackles, including 5.5 sacks.

Eldon is averaging 19.4 points per game and giving up 25.0 points.

"They're a physical football team," Thomas said of Eldon. "They run the football and play great defense. Coach Jolley does a great job with them. Their offensive line comes off the football really well, which allows them to run the ball the way the like to. They block and tackle well."

 Eldon at Warsaw

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