Highway 109 Showdown: Friday's Rival Football Game

The Eureka Wildcats will pay a visit to their rivals, the Lafayette Lancers, at 7 p.m. on Friday in Wildwood to kick off each team’s 2011 football season with a Suburban West Conference showdown.

Last season’s matchup at ended in a 28-0 shutout in favor of the Wildcats. Lafayette will be looking to exact some revenge on its home field, bringing in a squad ranked 81st in the state and 22nd in Missouri Division 6, according to MaxPreps.com.

A new year sees the looking to improve significantly on both offense and defense from the 2010 season. At the end of last year, coach Boyd Manne’s team was averaging 24 points a game while allowing 21.

Eureka, meanwhile, would like to start this season similar to last, when the Wildcats ripped off five straight wins in their first five games. They ultimately finished 9-2 overall and 7-1 within their conference, good enough for a first-place tie with Lindbergh. Lafayette went 5-3 in the Suburban West.

Leading the Lafayette offense will be senior quarterback Dominic Bisesi. He threw for 1,762 yards and 14 touchdowns last year.

Eureka’s success will likely depend on whether their defense can put up the stifling numbers it did from a year ago. In 2010, Eureka allowed only 12.4 points per game, shutting out their opponents four times. The offense was far from unproductive however, scoring nearly 34 points a game. Coach Farrell Shelton’s offense topped 40 points five times last season.

Running back Spencer Stein will pace Eureka’s offense. He rushed for 1,182 yards in 2010 and he averaged 7.3 yards per carry.

Eureka comes in to the year ranked 41st in the state and 18th in Missouri Division 6.

Eureka would seem to be a favorite, but no rivalry game can be taken lightly. Between their home-field advantage and eagerness to give their fans an impressive win to start the year, the Lancers are poised to give Eureka a competitive game.

Although Lafayette’s defense was less than stellar last year, it wouldn’t be a surprise if points were at a premium for both sides in this game. Eureka’s smothering defense will almost certainly be a force once again, the key will be whether or not the Lafayette defense, perhaps with a little help from their home crowd, can keep Eureka’s potent offense at bay.

Lafayette Lancers
Coach: Boyd Manne
State Rank: 81 (MaxPreps.com)
Division 6 Rank: 22 (MaxPreps.com)
Last Season: 5-5 (5-3)
Points For: 265 Points Against: 231

Eureka Wildcats
Coach: Farrell Shelton
State Rank: 41 (MaxPreps.com)
Division 6 Rank: 18 (MaxPreps.com)
Last Season: 9-2 (7-1 T-1st)
Points For: 369 Points Against: 137