ELDON - If past performance is any type of indicator, the Eldon Mustangs should have a pretty good idea what to expect from Boonville tonight.
That would be a heavy dose of Avian Thomas.
Eldon will brace for the area's leading rusher tonight when Thomas and the Boonville Pirates come to town for a Tri-County Conference contest. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Mustangs are trying to post back-to-back victories after getting off the winless rut last week with a 44-36 victory against California. Boonville is coming off a win last Friday against another winless league foe, Versailles, 48-21.
Eldon is now 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the Tri-County. The Pirates, ranked No. 7 in Class 3 in this week's Missouri Media Rankings, comes in at 5-1 and 3-1.
Getting extended time in the Boonville backfield due to injuries, Thomas took full advantage last week. The senior, who normally moves around the field at running back, slotback, wideout and return man, blitzed the Versailles defense last week by shattering the Pirates' single-game school record in rushing yards, finishing with 371 yards on 32 carries while scoring five touchdowns.
"Thomas had a pretty good night," an understated Boonville coach Greg Hough said. "We lost a pretty good running back the previous week (Andrew Wiser with a dislocated elbow) and had to adjust to personnel packaging. That left Avian in the backfield the entire time. The (senior wideout Tramell) Coleman kid, same way. We move them all over the field."
"The Thomas kid is incredible," Eldon coach Chad Hult said. "We've played him the last three years and know what he brings to the table. We'll have to try and bottle him up."
Thomas comes in with 981 rushing yards on 111 carries (8.8 yards per carry) and 14 touchdowns.
However, he's far from the only threat for Boonville, which averages 34.0 points per game.
Coleman is another explosive piece to the Pirate puzzle with 20 receptions for 256 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 164 yards (9.1) and a TD.
Senior quarterback Nick Ferrari has completed 42-of-70 passes for 568 yards, five interceptions and six touchdowns.
"Boonville, it's their team speed that really stands out," Hult said. "And they use a lot of different formations, which makes it difficult to prepare for. The quarterback does good stuff in throwing the ball. They like to use the run to set up the pass. And Coleman is an extremely good player with a lot of speed."
The Pirates have also excelled much of the season on defense, allowing just 17.8 points per game.
Junior linebacker Harper Stock leads Boonville with 74 tackles - 38 solo - while senior linebacker Josh Polk has 60 tackles and junior linebacker Lane West has 49.
West and sophomore linebacker D.J. Wesolak each have five sacks while West has 10 tackles for loss. Polk and Wesolak have eight and seven tackles for loss, respectively.
"They've got some good linebackers," Hult said. "(West) is all over the field and they've got a lot of team speed."
Eldon gave itself a much-needed confidence boost with its first win last week.
The Mustangs got off to a fast start, scoring on their first five offensive possessions, with all but two plays being rushing attempts. The Mustangs led 16-0 after one quarter and went into halftime up 36-16.
Eldon rushed for 451 yards in the game, with senior fullback Kaden Dillon getting 170 yards, sophomore quarterback Dallas Hardy 171 yards and junior running back Braydy Hill 109 yards.
"They've been working their butts off to get one," Hult said. "To finally get a win, it's nice. (Another victory this week) would give these guys confidence to end the season in a big way."
Dillon now has 642 rushing yards on 128 carries and six touchdowns in five games while Hardy has run for 535 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns, Hill 168 yards, senior Nate Wardenburg 147 yards and junior Owen Levesque 114 yards.
Hardy has completed 12-of-35 passes for 167 yards.
Hardy, a safety, and freshman lineman Colton Phillips lead the Mustang defense with 13 tackles each while Levesque, a safety, has 12 tackles and senior safety Blake Smith 11.
"They're big, when you see them on the field," Hough said of Eldon. "They're physical. Their coaches do a good job. That scheme (the wing-T) is like fighting in a phone booth. It will be a matchup of two different styles. Defensively we've been a little better against a run team; it'll be an interesting matchup.
"Their line play is what I notice. Their physicality stands out. They're not looking for that big play, just steady. It will be a game that whoever controls the line of scrimmage will be successful."