Tri-Valley, Eureka to collide for sole possession of HOCIC large division lead
EUREKA — While the winner of Friday's high school football showdown will not clinch the outright Heart of Central Illinois Conference's large division crown, it will take a huge step toward it.
Tri-Valley (6-1, 5-0) invades McCollum Field to battle Eureka (7-0, 5-0) with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Vikings arrive on a five-game win streak. They operate out of the spread and feature senior back Cole Klein, who has rushed for 621 yards and averaged over 11 yards per carry. A season ago, he gained 227 yards and scored four touchdowns in Tri-Valley's 52-26 triumph at McCollum.
"They are good being committed to running downhill," Hornets coach Jason Bachman said. "They have good linemen up front who can block. We have to be able to control their run game."
Klein and senior wideout Cade Danko missed the first two games due to injury. That includes the lone setback of 41-14 to host and former co-op partner LeRoy in week two. Since then, the Vikings have outscored their opposition 232-46, as they wrapped up a postseason berth this past week.
The Vikings use a 4-3 scheme on defense, as 41 of the 103 points they've allowed came to the Panthers. Klein is a linebacker, while Danko and fellow senior Lucas Filarski are in the secondary.
They'll face a Hornets offense that has scored 45 or more points in three contests and 248 on the season.
"They fly around to the football and do a good job of making plays," Bachman said. "If we can control them up front, we can have success. We also have to be multi-dimensional ... being able to run and pass. They have the ability to take one of those away."
According to Bachman, the Vikings were the more physical squad in the matchup 363 days ago. That, along with gang tackling on defense, are what the Eureka coach sees as the keys to the game.
"If we can swarm to the ball, play tough and aggressive," he said. "We did not do that last year. They pushed us around. Two years ago, we played them over there (Downs) in the rain and it came down one possession (a 6-0 Tri-Valley win). I do not expect either team pulling away. I expect it to be a war."
Bachman added senior Mason Stoller (fractured hand) is expected to return after a four-game absence.
Josh Roop is in his 18th season as coach of the Vikings and has a 144-46 record ... Tri-Valley started 2023 10-0 before it lost 42-14 on the road to eventual champ Wilmington in round two of the 2A playoffs ... The Vikings lead the all-time series with Eureka 5-3.
Notes: T-V has won three of the four games held at McCollum. Klein (tight end), Danko (secondary) and Filarski (secondary) were sophomore starters on the '22 squad that lost 29-22 in the 2A final to Decatur St. Teresa. On occasion, Klein will line up in the wildcat formation in third or fourth down situations as well as around the goal line. The Hornets have outscored three foes to venture to McCollum by a combined 97-8.
INSIDE: Hornets cruise past Tremont, move to 7-0.
