Van-Far wins first road game in four years, defeats Louisiana 14-0

The excitement for Van-Far football continued on Friday night.

The Indians won their third straight game – first three-game win streak since 2017 – and defeated their second district opponent in as many weeks with a 14-0 win at Louisiana, but the significance behind this victory lied in Van-Far (4-4, 2-4 EMO) being victorious on the road for the first time in four years. The last time an Indians team won away from home was in 2019 in a 34-12 victory at Louisiana.

Head coach Lucas Gibson said Van-Far has a chance at a winning regular season and its first Farmers Cup in five years when it reignites its rivalry with Eastern Missouri Conference foe Mark Twain (1-7, 1-5 EMO) at home this week because of the defense it has been playing. After back-to-back weeks of at least 40 points allowed against offensive powerhouses like Bowling Green and Wright City, Van-Far has allowed a total of 22 points in three weeks and secured its first shutout victory since 2018.

“It was our goal to get a shutout and we finally got one,” Gibson said. “We seem like we’re figuring out how to eliminate the big play. That one play you can’t take off makes a difference.”

Blake Foster had a few pass breakups that prevented a couple big pass plays, Gibson said, and Evan Utterback, Jackson Fischer and Easton Sharp all had a presence on the defensive line. Utterback led the defense with 8.5 tackles and two tackles for loss, Fischer had two tackles, Sharp finished with 3.5 tackles, and Ty Evans had 6.5 tackles, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery made possible by Carson Huff.

Gibson has expressed the importance of studying film and scouting reports so the Indians have been prepared well for its opponents in recent weeks. There was a strong cerebral element when it came to defending Louisiana (2-6, 1-5 EMO), who has eclipsed 30 points twice this season.

“They bring a lot of stuff at you like fake a jet and then throw it back to the tight end,” Gibson said. “You’ve got to stay disciplined and trust your teammates to do their job because they’re looking for a weak spot.”

Offensively, Gibson quarterback Nikos Connaway had another good game after making a big difference late last week in a victory. Connaway ran for a touchdown in the first quarter and totaled 150 offensive yards and connected with Gaven Gaston on a couple long passes — two catches for 65 yards. Gaston was eventually able to catch a touchdown pass in the third quarter, and Reece Culwell made a diving catch to give the Indians the two-point conversion. Gage Gibson ran for 63 yards on 11 carries.

Van-Far has a good chance at a winning regular season, which hasn’t been done in the program since 2004 when the Indians were 5-4 before losing to South Shelby to end the season. Gibson said the history the Indians have been making week after week has made the kids more excited every week.

“The kids are starting to feel it too,” Gibson said. “You can tell in practice of them getting excited about keeping this thing going.”

Van-Far has pair earn all-EMO honors

Van-Far was represented on the all-Eastern Missouri Conference team for boys and girls.

Brooke-lyn Forman and Garrett Hopke qualified for all-conference honors in the girls and boys 5,000 meters on Saturday at the EMO Conference meet at North Callaway in Kingdom City.

Forman finished fifth with a time of 22:22 to earn first-team honors, and Erin Childs just missed the top-15 cutoff in 18th with a 23:51. Hopke ran to a second-team all-conference nod with a 12th-place time of 18:13. 

Montgomery County won the girls conference title and had the individual champion time of 19:56 set by Malia Rodgers. Bowling Green won the boys title and had the individual champion Ben Chance with his time of 15:25.