ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — There are only two teams ranked higher in Missouri 8-man football than North Shelby, and those two played each other Friday night. There may not be a better team Bishop LeBlond could have scheduled, and the Golden Eagles believe their Week 1 loss will pay off in the long run.
“We knew coming into this, this is a good football team,” coach Chuck Davis said. “We knew this would be a battle and that’s exactly what we got. … there’s a lot of good things in this. I thought we really played physical, we battled. I thought we were good up front. We asked guys who didn’t play a lot of varsity a year ago to come in and play every down for the whole game. I thought really, we competed and you can’t really ask for much more.”
The 38-0 loss still had plenty of positives. Junior Pax Helsel stepped into the role of quarterback and showed promise. LeBlond ran its offense almost entirely out of the shotgun, something not every 8-man team does. That opened up the passing game for Helsel and LeBlond’s skill players to get into space and make plays. Junior receiver Phineas Spencer benefited from it, while Helsel found both him and junior Quinn Tabor as reliable targets downfield and on shorter routes.
“I think Pax, for his first live, four quarter, real live bullet action, to go up against a team with guys that not only, we know who they are and they’ve been there done that, but just to look at them. I mean, across the ball guys that are 225 pounds just bearing down at you,” Davis said. “I thought he handled the pressure really well, he got the ball delivered really well, he was poised and composed and took a couple shots and got right back up. He is a tough kid. … I am proud of him and I expect really big things this season for him.”
With LeBlond’s air-raid offense, the Golden Eagles could put plenty of defenses in difficult spots moving forward. Many 8-man teams are built around stopping the run, and LeBlond’s increased emphasis on the passing game, combined with its talent at receiver, could create problems as the season progresses.
“I think everything that we worked on in practice throughout the week, passing game, I thought it was all there, it was all open,” Spencer said. “I just think we got to convert and make plays once we catch the ball, after catching the ball in the first place.”
The physicality of North Shelby gave LeBlond’s newcomers to varsity football an early look at what it takes to compete against one of the best teams in the state. Facing the No. 3 team in Missouri in Week 1 set the tone for the Golden Eagles as they look to get back on track and into the win column.
“I told the guys this after the game, I think that we’ll look back come districts and view this as the best thing that’s happened to us,” Davis said.
For LeBlond, the score may not have reflected the progress Davis saw from his team, but the experience could prove valuable later in the season. The Golden Eagles now know the level of physicality and execution required against top competition, and they’ll get their first chance to apply those lessons next week.
LeBlond will look to bounce back against Schuyler County (1-0) at home Friday, Sept. 4.
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