Football Game Preview: Kickapoo Chiefs vs. Joplin Eagles

After each having a week off, the Kickapoo Chiefs and the Joplin Eagles will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Joplin took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Kickapoo, who comes in off a win.

Kickapoo proved they can win big back in October (they won by 45) and last Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They won a game that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by Ozark 32-31.

Joplin had taken Webb City down for two straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end last Friday. The Eagles took a hard 42-28 fall against the Cardinals. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Eagles came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri football rankings (they are ranked 31st, while the Cardinals are ranked 87th).

Kickapoo will need to focus on slowing down Trenton McCadney, one of several Joplin players who made an impact when they last played. He picked up 126 receiving yards and one touchdown, and also rushed for 47 yards. Layne Royle was in the mix too, providing Joplin with two TDs.

Joplin dropped their record down to 4-5 with the loss, which was their third straight at home. As for Kickapoo, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 2-7.

Kickapoo might still be hurting after the 31-7 defeat they got from Joplin when the teams last played back in August. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Eagles' Traevian McCadney, who rushed for 205 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. Now that the Chiefs know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.