Prep Football: On A Mission
For Brandon Hampton, the game this week at Johnston City, could have many implications, but for the Eldorado High School football coach, it's just another game on the schedule.
Johnston City, a team that won the BDC a year ago and picked by many in the preseason to repeat again this year, has just one loss - that coming to Chester in Week 5, 34-21.
Chester and Eldorado remain the only two unbeaten in conference play.
Even after Eldorado's throttling of Fairfield - another club that was picked ahead of the Eagles - Hampton is pumping the breaks on anyone rolling out the red carpet for his Week 9 showdown against Chester.
"I just don't see it that way, I think Johnston City is a very good club. They are last year's regular season champion and preseason favorite and until someone beats them or knocks them off, they are right there in the hunt for it again this year. So, I think it'll be the best team we've played, probably the best team on our schedule and they are very good."
The two met a year ago with Johnston City pulling off a thrilling 31-30 overtime victory at EHS and threw fuel on the fire with a 28-20 first round IHSA Class 2A playoff last season at Ralph Davison Field.
Davison Field will be the site of this year's showdown where Hampton walks in with a record of 1-8 against the Indians.
Eldorado has forced 32 turnovers in seven ballgames this season and Hampton applauds his offense for having just one turnover on offense.
"When you think back to a year ago, that was a strength of ours too. And then we go over (to Johnston City) in the post season and we fumble the ball four times on their turf. That's something that we have to do a better job of doing when we got over there."
It's an Indians team that has depth and plays a lot of kids, as does Eldorado. For Hampton the battle of nutrition starts with stopping Nico Gualdoni.
"They play a lot of kids," Hampton said. "They are very physical and have a lot of team speed, particular defensively. On offense they want to formation you around a little and try to find that weakness. For us, we will have to do the things we have done all year to have success, which is being very physical on both sides of the ball and I think it'll come down to our kids continuing to take care of the football on offense and take it away defensively.
"What jumps out at you when you watch Johnston City is how hard their kids play on both sides of the football. I think Gualdoni is probably the best overall football player within our conference and arguably in southern Illinois. He's very, very good on offense. He's very, very good on defense and then he's probably a Division I athlete in the kicking game. I would challenge anyone to find me a guy who does more in all three phases and who is such a contributor to his team than he is."
Gualdoni received MVP votes in the BDC as a junior last year and is a handful of guys expected to take home the top prize again this year.
The 7-0 start is something that Hampton said he talks to his team about much. He also said the topic isn't necessarily taboo.
"Our kids, you know, they were just sick and tired of hearing they haven't played anybody. The thing I talk to them about is just going out and playing the game on your schedule, the next one. This week is no different. Fairfield is a good ball club and that was a legitimate win, make no mistake about it. It was and is one of the toughest offenses in southern Illinois with the amount of athletes and the things they can do. This week, Johnston City will be no different."
Michael Dann covers prep and college sports for the Harrisburg Daily Register. Follow him on Twitter: @spydieshooter.