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Prep Football: Full Steam Ahead

It was like the Daytona 500.

The first event of the NASCAR season was fashionably referred to as the Super Bowl of racing.

For a while, Eldorado's first game of the year against Carmi-White County was likewise compared, but just as the Black Diamond Schedule rotates, so did the Eagles' clash with their rival to the north.

And after the Bulldogs' failure to reach the playoffs the last couple of years and Eldorado's wins the last two, the lineup seemed to have lost some of its luster.

Not this year. Eldorado comes in with the league's best defense and is the only BDC team left to hold their opponents to zero points. The Eagles blanked Vienna-Goreville 22-0 Week 1 and responded with a 40-0 shut out over Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn this week.

Carmi-White County, behind the strong play of Jake Simon, has accounted for the most points in the Diamond to date (86) after a 48-8 win over Christopher-Ziegler-Royalton to start the season and a 38-14 win last week over Edwards County.

Much of the success that Carmi-White County has had comes from the arm - and legs - of senior quarterback Jake Simon, who EHS head coach Brandon Hampton equates to a legitimate FCS caliber player. Hampton said Simon will be the best player on the field; he's hoping to have the best team on the field.

"It's still a marquee matchup," Hampton said. "(Head coach) Kurt (Simon) offenses are always explosive and this one is no different. Jake is a dynamic quarterback that scrambles around and he doesn't scramble to run, he scrambles to throw it and throw it deep. To stop them on offense, it will be a team effort. We have to be great in the kicking game and force them to go 60, 70, 80 yards and make the execute.

"At the same time, our best defense can be our offense. We have to be able to hang onto the football and eat some clock."

Hampton adds that Carmi isn't as one dimensional as they have been in the past and with the threat of being able to throw the ball now, the EHS head coach knows his team's defense has their work cut out for them Friday.

"We're going to have to play team defense," Hampton said. "It'll be important for our secondary to have eye discipline and in drop zone coverage play your part and do your job. Each week we have been trying to compete a little bit against Carmi in practice. This will also give us a chance to practice against ourself and go good-on-good. Iron sharpens iron when we are able to do those things."

Hampton has always broke down his full seasons into thirds and preparing for CWC came in the first part of the equation. The eight year Eagles head coach said there is a disservice you are doing your team if you try to prepare for the opposition in two or three days.

"If you try to do that, a team like Carmi will hang a lot of points on you. This is our first road test of the year and we've been talking to our guys about no shortcuts. We have to give ourself an opportunity to win the game.

To do that, it usually comes down to whoever makes the big play or doesn't make the big mistake."

Michael Dann covers prep and college sports for the Harrisburg Daily Register and Eldorado Daily Journal. Follow him on Twitter: @spydieshooter.