ELDON - A year ago, the season began for the Eldon Mustangs with a blowout loss to an eventual 11-victory non-conference opponent.
And things didn't get much better as the season progressed into a rugged Tri-County Conference schedule. Injuries, turnovers and the inability to stop big plays on defense combined for a 1-9 overall and 1-6 Tri-County Conference nightmare campaign for the Mustangs.
Eldon has turned the page and Chad Hult is hoping to stay healthier and clean up the play in his third season as Mustang head coach.
Eldon opens tonight by hosting a team that has had much greater struggles in recent years in Springfield Central. Central hasn't won a game in five years, and this season was booted from the Ozark Conference football race due to its inability to compete. Central takes the place on Eldon's schedule from rugged Bolivar, which replaced the Springfield school as a member of the Ozark Conference.
A year ago the Mustangs entered the season with much inexperience. However, this fall Hult returns seven starters on both sides of the ball.
"We're confident in what we like to do," Hult said. "We feel confident these guys will carry the workload until the younger guys catch up."
Offensively, the Mustangs' run-heavy wing-T offense generated 20.4 points per game in 2019. Lost from that attack is graduated fullback Kaden Dillon, who rushed for around 1,000 yards.
The bulk of the returning Eldon experience is up front, as four of the five starting offensive linemen are back. They include junior Sam Coppock at left guard, senior Laethian Childers at center, junior Colton Phillips at right guard and senior Fisher Snelling at right tackle. The new starter at left tackle will be junior Zion Duncan, senior Braden Bushnell or junior Porter Asbury.
Junior Tristan Robinett will be at tight end and senior Ian Birdno and junior Baylor Pearson figure to man the wideout spot.
There will be a new quarterback and he'll be young, either freshman Hunter Hees or sophomore Dominic Luttrell.
In the wing-T formation, the wingback is senior P.J. Bledsoe, the fullback either juniors Mason Kirkwig or Killian Wilson, and the running back senior Owen Levesque.
"I feel our offensive line is extremely physical," Hult said. "We have two talented guards, which is very important in the wing-T. This year it'll be a little different, we'll have several players carrying the ball. It won't be that one person carrying the workload.
"At quarterback, Hunter is a very talented person. And Dominic is just an extremely hard competitor. They are capable of doing a lot of good. In this offense the quarterback is kind of a complementary player. And this is the most talent we've had in a few years at the receiver position. We've got to be able to hit the big play when it's there."
If the Mustangs are going to run up some victories this fall, the defense must improve. Eldon allowed 46.0 points per game last season.
"There is not a ton of team speed there and we're more of a bend-but-don't-break mentality," Hult said. "We gave up too many big plays last year. Our defensive front and outside linebackers giving pressure should be a strength this year."
In Eldon's 4-4 defensive formation, Snelling and Coppock are at end and Phillips and Childers at tackle up front.
Robinett is at one inside linebacker spot, with either Jason Holland or sophomore Daqwan Williams at the other. The outside linebackers are Levesque and Birdno.
Wilson and junior Nicky Martonfi are at cornerback, along with Pearson. The safety will be Bledsoe or junior Connor Kinder.
In special teams, Martonfi figures to be the placekicker while either Hees or Kinder will punt.