After going 3-0 in the non-conference portion of their schedule and having a bye week last Friday, the Paris Eagles resume their 2021 football season campaign with their conference opener this Friday at Mayflower. The Mayflower Eagles were a five seed in last year’s state tournament and will provide a significant test for Paris. Last season, Paris defeated Mayflower decisively in the first conference game of the 2020 season. This year’s game is expected to be much more competitive than the Paris route of a year ago.
Paris is expected to go into Friday’s game healthy and nearly 100 percent after the week off. Paris has also enjoyed the sportsmanship rule being in effect for each of its first three games. The big Paris leads have enabled Paris to remove their starters early in games to protect them from possible injury, and to give reserve players a chance to gain experience and further their development. This Friday’s game is not expected to go that way. Last year’s game was an unexpected blowout, but Mayflower has many returning players and has a tradition of always being very talented with athletic ability and team speed. On the artificial turf in Mayflower, both teams should enjoy the fast surface, and the game could turn into a “track meet”.
The first conference game for any school is vital for the specific reason of immediately placing them in the upper half of their conference with the win. A loss positions a team to have to “leap frog” several in the standings who are above them and becomes a critical factor in October as teams are vying for playoff positions and seedings. Paris plays two consecutive weeks on the road to open conference play, and the two games at Mayflower and next week at Two Rivers are vital wins for the Eagles before they get into the difficult portion of their schedule with Atkins, Perryville, and Boonevile. In short, the Eagles have to take care of business this week and next to position themselves to play for a conference championship in October.
Resident Press will be in Mayflower on Friday to bring you coverage of the game in Saturday’s online edition. Photos from the game will be posted on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports on Sunday night.
So Paris fans, its time to load up the cars and make the drive down I-40 to support your team in the battle of the Eagles! Wear your blue and white, and, I’ll see you there!
