The Van-Far boys have started this summer well.

The Indians won eight of their first nine shootout games, going a perfect 6-0 at Northwest Missouri State University on the prior Thursday and Friday against teams from Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska and then winning two of three on Monday in Harrisburg. After falling short by two points against Harrisburg, Van-Far defeated Pilot Grove by more than 20 points and came back in the second half to defeat Mexico 44-40.

Head coach Pat Connaway said the level of competition on Monday was the highest Van-Far had seen, which likely means good things for the future.

“Coming here to play Harrisburg and Mexico, it’s what we need,” Connaway said. “We need to see where we’re at.”

Connaway said Harrisburg won early in the morning after scoring with two seconds left on the clock, the Indians found their stroke from outside to pile on Pilot Grove, and made key buckets and free throws down the stretch against Mexico after calming down in the second half.

Carson Huff converted on a 3-point play to give Van-Far the lead it would cling on to in the final seconds against Mexico. The Bulldogs gained almost a 10-point advantage in the second half prior to that so Huff and the returning Indians banded together for the victory in the Audrain County showdown.

Huff is a transfer from Wellsville-Middletown following his mother being hired in the district. Connaway said Huff adds physicality to a group that went 17-11 last season and will be without all-Eastern Missouri Conference player Cody Smith, who graduated.

“Carson’s brand new so we’re trying to get him figured in because our offense is totally different from what he’s seen,” Connaway said. “He’ll help rebound, and he’s a good shooter. Once he figures out our spread offense, he’s going to get a lot of looks. We’re going to have five shooters most of the time so that’s going to make us tough to guard.”

Connaway said Van-Far played School of the Osage, Otterville and Stover in Versailles on Friday and then plays today at West Hancock in Warsaw, Illinois against Clark County and Illinois teams Perry Griggsville and Illini West.

Facing teams they don’t usually see is good, Connaway said. Mexico falls into this category because the Indians played the Bulldogs most recently in 2020 and have faced them four times in the previous seven years. There is some familiarity as DJ Long was at Van-Far before transferring to Mexico and played with Nikos Connaway, Gage Gibson and Carter Jennings since kindergarten.

“They’re more physical, and they’re scrappy,” Connaway said. “You play quality kids like that, it helps us.”