Joplin steps into 2026 with scrimmage

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The Joplin Eagles stepped out onto Junge Field at the Dewey Combs Athletic Complex on Saturday night to get 2026 underway with an intrasquad competition in the Red and White scrimmage.

And it was competitive. There were some strong tackles made with defenders standing tall over their offensive teammates. There were some strong runs that saw offensive players celebrate big gains and touchdowns.

There were some words fired around like “you got scared” after a dropped pass.

“Players, coaches, we’re all competitive; otherwise, we wouldn’t be doing this. Absolutely, there’s a lot of competitive spirit going on,” Joplin head coach Curtis Jasper said.

Now, the Eagles are ready to direct that competitive spirit toward an opponent. They’ll get the chance to do that Friday night when they go to Webb City for their jamboree.

“I’ve been ready to get back on the field ever since last season ended. I didn’t like how we went out,” junior defensive end Judah Meredith said. “I got to see how the seniors ahead of me got to lead the defense and bring everyone together. I’m excited to try and take on that role.

“It’s a great group of guys. They’re like my brothers.”

Meredith and the Eagles will begin their season on the road at Kickapoo High School in Springfield on Friday, Aug. 28.

“Really excited about so many things. When you’re replacing nine on each side of the ball everybody wonders, basically, how you’re going to line up to run plays and defend and all that stuff,” Jasper said.

As for Saturday night, Trenton McCadney took snaps at quarterback and helped orchestrate some scoring drives and sprinted free for a touchdown run of his own. Running back Johnny Tilton broke a tackle and sprinted 20-plus yards for a score as well.

Another running back, Elijah Hurrell, showcased his powerful running on a couple plays and some field vision on another as he cut through defenders for a big gain.

“I think we have a good complement of backs with (Hurrell) and Johnny Tilton and maybe even a couple other guys. We’re really happy with what we saw with those guys,” Jasper said.

On defense, Jack Lewis laid the lumber on a receiver after a catch. Lewis is a senior safety. Meredith made some stops at, behind and around the line of scrimmage throughout the night.

Other defensive names coach mentioned were Kingston Powell, Jeremy Hoffman, Myles Castleberry and Alexander Flinn.

McCadney is known for his speed and elusiveness and got to showcase that from the quarterback position some a year ago. Jasper liked what he saw Saturday when his quarterback passed the ball.

“I thought his decision-making was really good tonight and how he threw the ball. Obviously everybody knows he can run,” Jasper said.

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