Tonight’s final regular season game against Danville has become a little more meaningful than most Paris fans have anticipated over the past several weeks. After last week’s war at Booneville that saw the Eagles drop their first game of the year, Paris now focuses on finishing as the number two seed in conference 3A-4 and building momentum going into next week’s first round state playoff game. The Eagles are a little nicked after last week’s game, and the challenge this week for Paris coach Jeff Weaver will be to manage the game, get the win, and get his players out of the game to allow them to heal as much as possible before the playoffs start next Friday.
Danville is a bit of a surprise. Their program has gone through some struggles with low participation numbers. But the Little Johns have regrouped, and everyone associated with that program deserves a lot of credit in getting the players and the program back on track and being competitive again. If anyone thinks that Danville will come into Eagles Stadium and lay down for Paris, they are very wrong. Danville has nothing to lose and everything to gain, and frankly, the loss last week at Booneville has left the Eagles reeeling a bit. But I expect the seniors on the Paris football team who have led their program to two of its most successful years in program history, to play hard in their final regular season game on their home field. I expect Paris to do what they have to do to win the game. And around 9 p.m. tonight, the Eagles attention will shift to state playoff preparation.
I am not going to attempt to give my opinion or thoughts on last week’s game at Booneville. There is not much left to be said that has not already been said. And as a writer, I do not want to contribute to diverting a team’s attention on a game tonight that is very important to them and their fans. But I will say, as just a fan of the game, and as a fan of the Paris players that I have had the opportunity to cover for the past two years, I was very proud of their effort and their resilience last week. They have a lot to play for, and I expect nothing but 100% effort out of all of them tonight in the chilly air at Eagles Stadium.
Photos from last week’s game at Booneville are now available on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports. Resident Press will have a recap of this game over the weekend, and will have a preview next week of the upcoming state playoffs. So, dress warmly and head to the stadium tonight for what should be another good football game.
See you at the stadium!
