Eldon Mustangs

The Eldon Mustangs nearly ended their losing streak on Friday in their closest game of the season, but the Pintos had enough to pull it out in a 15-0 win.

The season is now over for both Eldon and California.

The Osage Indians clinched a playoff spot with a win over Eldon and Versailles win over California on Friday.

The Mustangs, coming off a 32-14 win over the Pintos, got on top of Eldon early. They were up 28-0 at the end of the first quarter.

After that, it was all academic, as the Indians rolled to a 30-point win.

Osage will travel to Versailles next week to fight for home-field advantage in the first round of playoffs.

There was an improved performance from the Mustang defense, but it wasn't enough as Eldon lost 26-0 to Herculaneum on Friday.

It was an overall better effort for the young Mustangs, but they couldn't quite keep up with Herculaneum.

"We got better tonight," Eldon head coach Shannon Jolley said. "It didn't look like it in the third and fourth quarters. I was a little disappointed in our effort, but I'm not sure that, with all the youth we have on the field, that that's not a conditioning issue."

Eldon is now 0-2 on the season with a game at Monett next Friday.

Eldon lost 53-6 to North Callaway on Friday.

They trailed 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, and 26-0 at halftime.

The Thunderbirds scored three third quarter touchdowns to take a 47-0 lead into the final quarter of the game.

Eldon's lone score came with 10:51 remaining in the game. Junior Nathan Wilson scored from four yards out. The touchdown capped a two-play, 68 yard drive, which was keyed by a 64-yard run by junior running back Corey Mason.

In 1959, Fidel Castro took control of Cuba, the first nuclear-powered U.S. merchant ship was launched and the Wiffel Ball was introduced.
The same year, four lake area high school football programs were born.
In week 1, on Sept.18, Eldon defeated School of the Osage 41-7. The next week, they played their first home game at Allee Field against Camdenton and won 18-0.
Fast forward 50 years and the Eldon Mustangs, coming off a winless season, are hoping they can find some of that early magic.
“We talk about it all the time,” Eldon head coach Shannon Jolley said. “History is still strong here. It’s important to wear the maroon and gold.”
Jolley said a recent conversation at Henley’s Jewelers in Eldon gave him another example of why history is so important to the town.
“There are alumni from back then who are still in town,” he said. “There were a couple of undefeated teams back then. It’s exciting to revisit that history.”
Though plans aren’t finalized, Eldon intends to recognize the 50th anniversary the week of homecoming.
The team that first lost to Eldon 50 years ago, the Osage Indians, don’t have quite so far to go. Their history has also seen its ups and downs, but recent history has produced five consecutive district championships.
They’re focus is now to take that recent success and turn it into playoff success, after losing in the first round last season.
Across the lake in Versailles, history is also part of the conversation on a regular basis.
“We talk about it quite a lot,” head coach Glen Lemmon said. “We talk about history and tradition and the early days of the program.”
Versailles will also be recognizing the first team in the school’s history before the first home game of the season. They’ll have members of the original team, along with players from the past 50 years, in attendance to be recognized.
Down south, in Camdenton, they talk about history. In fact, it’s hard to avoid.
In the past 35 years, the Lakers have won 311 of their approximately 350 games. When Bob Shore came along, the school had only played football for 15 years. Now, they have a history of being a powerhouse in the state.
“You have to use your tradition to your advantage,” Shore said. “It can help, or it can hurt.”
While the rich history gets people excited about the program, it can also cause other teams to put a target on your back, Shore said.
But more than anything, it helps.
“Success breeds success,” Shore said.
And Camdenton football players tend to sometimes breed Camdenton football players.
Because he’s been at Camdenton so long, Shore is now coaching the boys of some of his former players.
Not all of the schools can say they hold a handful of state football titles, but all four have a rich history that dates back to the Eisenhower administration.
“We want to build on our history,” Jolley said. “We’re still a part of that.”