McAuley faces road test at Afton

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September 3, 2010

By Ryan Atkinson The Joplin Globe The Joplin Globe Fri Sep 03, 2010, 12:27 AM CDT

The McAuley Warriors face a stern road test a week after a disappointing season-opening loss.

The Warriors, who fell 41-12 to Pleasant hope in Week 1, travel to Afton, Okla., where the Eagles open what they hope will be another successful season.

“They’ve got a good team,” McAuley coach Chuck Williams said. “They have a good coach (Zach Gardner) and he’ll have them ready. ... They won’t come out like they’ve never played a game just because it’s their season opener.”

Junior Brennon Fuser returns at quarterback for Afton, as does classmate and favorite target Sam Shepard. Matt Wisdom, a 200-pound bruiser, returns at running back and a pair of 250-pound lineman are back to clear the way.

“They have a really good receiver in Shepard and their quarterback is pretty quick and elusive,” Williams said. “He can run the ball and he throws to Shepard a lot. If we can cut down on the looks to Shepard, it will help.”

The Eagles allowed eight points or less in six of their 11 games last season and topped McAuley 48-14 in their first game of the year.

“Their linebackers are solid and their defensive line is solid,” Williams said. “They do a good job and we’ll have to keep them out of the backfield and off our quarterback and give him a chance to execute some things.”

The Warriors were hoping for a better start to their season, but a rough second half led to a 29-point loss, allowing Pleasant Hope to snap a 33-game losing streak.

“That was a wakeup call for the kids,” Williams said. “They know that they have to do a better job and make better and quicker decisions or it could happen again.”

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McAuley faces road test at Afton

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

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