Russellville defeated Van-Far by 14 last year but were tougher this year.

Van-Far lost 47-6 at Class 1 No. 7 Russellville (2-0) to start this season with two losses. Cayden Douglas scored another touchdown for Van-Far on a short run after a 60-yard run by him set it up.

Head coach Lucas Gibson said Russellville is definitely a good team but has a good idea why.

“They’re very physical,” Gibson said. “They might be better than they were last year. They’re good across the board. We couldn’t find a weak spot.”

Meanwhile, Gibson said Van-Far turned the ball over multiple times and had a punt block returned for a touchdown. It is clear Van-Far’s group full of new starters needs more experience.

The big play actually didn’t hurt Van-Far as much because Russellville was good at consistently gaining chunks of yards with its run game.

“In the first drive, they got five, six or eight yards a carry,” Gibson said. “We just couldn’t stop their run game. They just kept getting first downs and scoring.”

Having a lopsided result like Friday is tough, but Gibson used Russellville as an example for a team that Van-Far can become.

“They have the intensity of the game,” Gibson said. “They do the little things right, and that stuff all adds up. That’s what I told them. ‘That’s what a good team looks like.’”

Van-Far plays its Senior Night game at 7 p.m. Friday against Eastern Missouri Conference foe Louisiana (2-0).