East Prairie Eagles

East Prairie seeking to go deeper in playoffs

sd_sports@yahoo.com

EAST PRAIRIE -- East Prairie senior Conner Scott wasn't sure if his Eagles belonged in the state playoffs last year.

It was the first time in 15 years that any Eagles team had made it there as nerves and inexperience in the post season engulfed each player in their first round loss to Crystal City which ended their season.

If that loss taught Scott and the rest of the Eagles anything, it was that they do belong and that they know what it takes to get there again.

"We want to get back to the playoffs and go deeper," Scott said. "Last year, I think we were a little bit intimidated and didn't really think we could win. But now, we know what it's going to take and that we can play ball in the state playoffs."

Wanting to build off of their storybook, 8-3 season last year, the East Prairie Eagles have a slough of seniors wanting to take them even further as the 2010 season rapidly approaches.

"One of our main goals is to go deep into the playoffs," senior lineback Alan Miller said. "That's one of the main things we want to do this year. We want to repeat as conference champions too, but, we also just want everybody to go hard and have a good time out here."

Along with Scott and Alan Miller, the Eagles are stacked when it comes to senior leadership. Aaron Miller, Mikey Russell, Zach Shipman and a few others are all returning starters with loads of experience under head coach Jason Aycock. It's what Aycock and his players will rely heavily on to take them to unseen heights.

"I expect superior leadership out of all of us," Alan Miller said. "I don't want any of us to get down on each other. I just want all of us to stay positive throughout the entire game. I want us to be able to not worry about ourselves and pick up another teammate. Don't worry about how tired you are and how much your hurting, worry about the guy next to you and encourage him.

"Don't worry about yourself."

"This is the most senior leadership we've had here at East Prairie for a long time," Aycock said. "Conner, the Miller boys and Mikey, all of those guys, they all know that I expect more out of them. They're pretty much my assistant coaches out on the field.

"I expect these seniors to play far and beyond what they're capable of doing."

Senior Aaron Miller led the Eagles' run-heavy offense last season which was a huge factor in their 8-3 season. He carried the ball 197 times for 1100 yards and 11 touchdowns and also had 223 yards receiving. Shipman ran for 637 yards on 136 touches as well giving both backs nearly a five yard per carry average.

They also had the benefit of running behind the SEMO South Lineman of the Year in Alan Miller. As an offensive lineman, most running plays were directed towards Alan Miller's way. As a linebacker, he totaled 132 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions.

With all three of those components back in uniform, Aycock will have no need in changing schemes.

"You're going to see the same old East Prairie," said Aycock. "Hopefully, just a little bit faster and a little bit stronger. We're definitely more experienced this year."

With Aaron Miller and Shipman excelling on the ground, there wasn't much need to go to the air. However, when they did, Scott was able to oblige.

He connected for 47 passes on 98 attempts for 557 yards. On every sixth pass, Scott connected for a touchdown as he ended the season with seven scoring passes.

There is concern, however, on when Scott will be able to take the field.

After suffering a torn meniscus in his knee over the summer, the timetable for Scott to return may not land at the start of the season. Although Scott expects to be the starting quarterback against Hayti in their first game of the season, those plans are not yet set in stone.

"Coach said if I'm not 100 percent then we'll have Dalton (Golightly) in there," said Scott, who is towards the end of recovering from surgery. "I know he'll do a fine job. I should be back though. I'm ready to go."

"There's always concern," Aycock said about Scott's knee. "The first priority you have as a coach is to protect your kids. There's going to some concern there, no doubt."

One of Scott's primary targets last season, was Russell who plays tight end. Russell caught 15 passes for 335 yards, which was 60 percent of Scott's passing yardage, and three touchdowns.

Scott, Russell and the Miller brothers all expect to have a great season in their final year as Eagles. They have all shared their time together on the field, which they hope will culminate into a great last season for them.

"We knew coming in that'd we would be the leaders," said Scott. "We feel like the past few years we've grown together and we can all work together and keep this team going in the right direction."

The direction they are heading will more than likely lead them to a head-to-head district match up against the Caruthersville Tigers who will more than likely stand in their way come playoff time.

"They're all seniors just like we are," Aaron Miller said about the Tigers. "They've got a lot of talent there and they've got a lot of speed. We're going to have to work exceptionally hard to beat them."

Caruthersville handed the Eagles their only district loss last year in a 21-0 defeat. And just like East Prairie, the Tigers return a majority of their players that led them to a state quarterfinal match up against the eventual state runner-up, Brentwood.

Knowing that they will face them at least once in the final three games of the season, the Eagles are expecting to face them a second time around this season but aren't overlooking the rest of their district.

"We know they're good but, we have to take one step at a time," Scott added. "Right now, we're focused on Hayti and after that it's Grandview and Scott City, all the way down the schedule.

"It's just going to prepare us for those last three games and the state playoffs."

The Eagles know their obstacles, and maybe more importantly, they know what it could take to overcome them. The core players that made history just making it to the playoffs last year are hoping to add a little something extra to the record books.

"We're going to have to come out here, every single day, and give it all we've got," Russell said. "It's going to take all the work in the world to get where we want to go. We just can't say we're going to do it, we have to go do what it's going to take to do it."

"We've got a few teams in our way trying to stop us but, heart and hard work will take you just as far as any amount of talent will," Aaron Miller added. "We truly believe that.

"Every single one of us."