Prep Football Preview: What do Eagles do for an Encore?
It's a challenge that Eldorado head coach Brandon Hampton said he's looking forward too.
Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn has always been a big-strike, fast paced offense that can hit the home run ball anytime it wants.
Hampton is trying to mold his Eagles into one of the best defenses in not only the Black Diamond Conference, but southern Illinois as a whole.
The Red Devils have the artillery, Hampton believes he has the shield.
Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn is coming off a tough game against Du Quoin, where the Indians ushered in the A.J. Hill era with a 46-0 beatdown at Van Metre Field.
That being said, Brandon Hampton looks at the loss for the Red Devils as more of an advantage for S-V-W-W as opposed to Hampton's Week 1 win over Vienna-Goreville.
"The case could be made that we played one of the lesser teams in 2A football and (Sesser-Valier) played one of the better teams in 3A football. I think that's an advantage for them and I'm a firm believer that you get better when you play against better competition."
The Red Devils return Ross Owens, who is a big-play receiver for Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn (0-1) and one that Hampton knows is proficient in the slot position. Owens had over 1,000 yards in nine games a year ago and at 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds is a big target for Clayton Smith.
"They are a uptempo, fast paced offense and will want to spread you out," Hampton said. "They want to go as fast as they can and they do a good job of running the football."
Jared Leslie is a All-Conference returner at running back and if there is any noticeable returnees on the Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn sideline, it's that of John Shadowens.
Shadowens is the third coach in as many seasons for the Red Devils, but was previously head man for the Red Devils for 11 years, going 51-52.
"He was the man when they were winning conference championships," Hampton said. "We hadn't had any success against coach Shadowens when he was the head coach there, but the last couple of years when we have gotten after them, he was on a little hiatus, but he's back now and he's a good football coach. He'll get them better each and every week."
Defensively, Hampton was encouraged by the fact that he was able to play a lot of guys against Vienna-Goreville. A point of emphasis in the preseason was to get more guys - as many guys - out on defense as he could to stay fresh throughout the early part of the schedule.
Eldorado (1-0) has opened up with the Red Devils the first week of the season the last two years, going 2-0. The last loss came in 2012 when the Eagles fell 28-20 at home.
It's the second straight week on the road for Eldorado, who plays its first four of five away from Boz Adams Field.
That in itself is a concern for Hampton despite last week's 52-0 win at Vienna.
"We have to continue to take care of the football and play smart in the kicking game and do a good job with our penalties. It will come down to us defensively, being able to prevent the big play that Sesser-Valier is capable of pulling off."
The game pace against Du Quoin is eventually what got the better of Sesser-Valier, according to Hampton.
"A team like Du Quoin, who is big and physical, can just run so much more personnel at you than teams in the Diamond are used to. I was impressed watching Sesser, particularly in the first half. We know we'll have our work cut out for us defensively."
One of Hampton's preaching points since he became head coach in 2008 has always been the improvement his team can make from Week 1 to Week 2. The message he said this week is still mostly about what his team can do as opposed to what Sesser-Valier does.
"The big thing we have been stressing is just be physical, no matter what happens or what's going on around you, just dominate the man across from you and make his night a long night. I think, if we're able to do that, good things will happen."
Michael Dann covers prep and college sports for the Harrisburg Daily Register. Follow him on Twitter: @spydieshooter.