Prep Football: New look has Eagles excited

There are so many things surrounding the Eldorado football team this week.

For one, it's rivalry week in the Black Diamond Conference, meaning the Eagles are putting their 3-1 start to the season up against their neighbor to the north in Hamilton County.

It's also Homecoming week at Eldorado and the game, which is slated for Saturday at 1 p.m. has nothing to do with the weather.

But the biggest thing that won't even be noticed until Eldorado runs out of the inflatable helmet will be the uniforms they are wearing.

Eldorado is wearing an all-black uniform, an idea EHS head coach Brandon Hampton fully admits, he stole from Southern Illinois University as their way to raise awareness for cancer.

Saturday's cancer awareness game and the message Hampton will send to his players is a simple one.

"We've all had someone whether it's a family member or a friend that has been affected by this disease. What I want them to do on Saturday is think about that person in their life that has had to fight adversity and go out there and dedicate their game to them."

The decision to do so against Hamilton County also has a special place for Hampton.

His grandmother Judy, who lived in McLeansboro, died of breast cancer while he was in high school. Judy's grandson and Hampton's cousin Brian Blades is the Foxes' head coach.

Eldorado players won't wear the names of cancer victims on the back of their uniforms, nor is any money being raised, but again, Hampton's message is also a little different.

"I've never liked how that looked. I think sometimes the message of what you're actually trying to do gets lost. I don't want my players going out there trying to look cool and forgetting what the message is that we are trying to get across. This is a serious disease that has likely affected everyone on our team and the other team. I want to be respectful of that and still do things in a way that matters and touches people."

Hampton noted the idea was something that parents brought to his attention and since then, he credits some anonymous donors along with Robby Price, who has worked behind the scenes to make this event possible.

The team's Nike jerseys will be all black with gold numbers in purple trim, worn along with black pants. The players' current numbers are the ones they will wear at Saturday's game. It's a one-time thing for 2016 and something that Hampton said his kids are excited about.

"It's a great motivation for this week. It's a classy look. It's very dominant and we will raise awareness for the cancer foundation. It's a win-win.

"When I unveiled it this past Saturday, two or three players came to the meeting late and dressed in all black. We talked about why we are wearing it. The kids were surprised by it, for sure. But hopefully they get excited and play well in those uniforms."

It's a common trend on Saturdays across the college football landscape to see teams wear different styles of jerseys and while Hampton said it will be a one-time occurrence for this season, he hopes it encourages younger football players that see it and want to wear the uniforms later in their playing careers.

"This was an easy way for our players to do something that was meaningful. Everyone has been through some adversity with family or friends and can draw from this. I think it will be different and exciting for the kids to run out of that tunnel on Saturday wearing all black, but what I really want is for one of our youth players to see that and say, 'shoot, one day I want to wear something like that.' Hopefully we look good, feel good, and play good."

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