Comets, Warriors to lock horns in Keosauqua

Van Buren:

2015 record: 1-8

Key returners:

RB Donny Roberts

Key losses:

QB Will Mertens,

WR Zach Smith,

WR Robert Barker

Cardinal:

2015 record: 0-9

Key returners:

RB Marcus Olson,

RB Trenton Durflinger,

WR Trevor Albert

Key losses:

QB Justin Conger,

WR Dakota Miller,

WR Drayton Hamm

Last meeting: Oct. 23, 2015:

Van Buren 36, Cardinal 0

Jon Spurgeon rushed for three touchdowns on 13 attempts and Will Mertens collected 147 yards through the air, adding 123 in the rushing game to lead Van Buren to a season-ending victory over Cardinal. For the Comets, Marcus Olson ran for 49 yards to lead the team offensively.

Weather Forecast:

A 40 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms looms in the forecast at around kickoff in Keosauqua on Friday night. It?ll be just under 80 degrees, so the temperature won?t have too much of an adverse effect on the players. The rain chance escalates at 8 and 9 p.m., so hopefully the players can get the game in quickly if there?s no storms at kickoff.

Van Buren and Cardinal may not be district rivals anymore with the Warriors bumping up to 1A, but the teams will renew their rivalry to open the 2016 season in a non-district matchup. The Comets struggled last year to find their identity and will hope to do so under new head coach Nick Ehret. For Van Buren, the team will need to figure out who will run the offense as Will Mertens?s graduation opened a door at the quarterback position.

It will likely be Brycen Starnes who opens the season as the Warriors? signal caller in the same spread offense that Mertens and Garrett Saunders ran before him under Mike Hurley. As the Warriors adjust to the merger with Harmony and an infusion of talent from the smaller school, the Comets will look to a young quarterback to lead a senior group.

Sophomore Trey Albert will start the season as the signal caller in a group loaded with senior talent. Senior running backs Marcus Olson and Trenton Durflinger return to the offense after leading the team in rushing last season. Another senior that Albert can rely on is his brother Trevor, who will be slotted out as a wide receiver in Ehret?s offense.

It?ll be interesting to see how these two programs rebound this season after compiling losing records last year, and it will start with a quick battle between each other in Keosauqua on Friday night.