Good news, bad news for Nixa in victory

nixa 250x266 Good news, bad news for Nixa in victory While Friday’s 21-14 season-opening victory over Camdenton High School shouldn’t have been as close as it was, there’s a ton for Nixa’s football to be excited about and just as much to be nervous about.

The good news? The identity of the running game. (330 yards rushing)

The bad news? The turnovers. (Five of them, four on lost fumbles)

Coming into the season, little was known about the Eagles’ stable of running backs. Graduating most of its depth, a ton of preseason emphasis was put on returning senior quarterback Ben Fisher and senior wide receivers Eric Cristophel and Brandon Cobb. And while they might be utilized on day, it was the running backs that made the statements.

The Eagles ended up running 33 times for 330 yards and no one was more important than Josh Liles. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior rushed 15 times for 105 yards in his first start, and conducted his first interviews — as you’ll see at the bottom of this file. Junior Kevin Shrauger scored two TDs on four carries, and fullback Sam Rehagen has a sizzling 62-yard run for a TD that got Nixa on the scoreboard to start the game.

“We just had to make our own statements,” Liles said after the game.

And while the five turnovers are all correctable — careless ballhandling and misfired passes — they know they have to get it fixed.

Another bright spot was the defense. Despite the turnovers on offense, Nixa held Camdenton to limited offense the entire night and never broke, allowing Camdenton just two plays of 20 yards or more. Also, after senior quarterback Spencer Carlock started out 7-for-7, he threw an interception at the Nixa goal line and then another before the half. Rehagen and Cristophel made the picks.

The moral of the story? If Nixa can beat Camdenton with five turnovers, what can they do if they don’t turn it over.