Sports

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08.18.2015 www.thekirkwoodcall.com 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 9 10 5 6 9 12 13 9 11

The Decade's Dynasty

The chart below shows the number of wins the Pioneers have compiled over the last decade. Kirkwood has gone 94-23 since 2005, the highest percentage (80.3%) in the Suburban 12 conference.

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ncertainty surrounded KHS football when varsity head coach Matt Irvin resigned in early March. The five- year Irvin regime posted a 54-9 record, while hoisting a Class 5 State Champi- onship trophy in 2012 and coming two touchdowns short in 2011. The Pioneers averaged 37.8 points per game while al- lowing only 15.3 during his reign. We were shocked to hear of the news when Irvin stepped down, but were reassured of continued gridiron greatness when former Eureka head varsity football coach Farrell Shelton stepped up. Shelton went 128-36 during his 14- year tenure as the Eureka Wildcats' head coach. His 2002 team was the Class 4 state runner-up, and his 2013 team advanced to the Class 6 state semifinal. Dominant defense is a common theme for Shelton's teams. In 2014, the Wildcats yielded a measly 98 points (9.8 per game), and during the past decade Eureka has al- lowed less than 15 points per contest. In five of the last 10 seasons Eureka has held its opponents to a total of 140 points or less (2005, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2014), a feat the Pioneers have only achieved twice in that span (2006 and 2007). Shelton's defensive genius will meet defensive tradition at KHS. The Pioneers held their opponents to 12.5 points per game or less in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The team has allowed more than 200 points in a season just three times in the last decade. Not only will the defense be a brick wall, but the offense will once again dis- mantle opposing defenses. Kirkwood has scored over 2,000 points during the past four seasons, for an average of 40.3 per game. The Pioneers topped 425 points each year since 2011, a feat that had not been accomplished since 2005. Shelton will bring a defensive mindset to a team that can already be called a jug- gernaut on both sides of the line of scrim- mage. So while we say goodbye to a glori- ous era in Kirkwood football, Shelton will begin a new one with its fair share of hard- ware. Kirkwood is bound for prolonged success and an onslaught of victories. Offense will win football games. Defense will win champion- ships. There is no uncer- tainty surrounding that.

Offense will win football games. Defense will win championships.

Ryan Davidson

design editor ~opinions~

Words from Coach Shelton

"Let's take care of the little things, and the big things, such as win- ning, which is what people evaluate us on, [are] going to take care of [them- selves]." "You always want to strive to get better, be- cause if you're not getting bet- ter you're getting worse." "Winning or losing is the sum of a lot of things that have been added together." "Kirkwood is a great community, exactly the way Eureka was, and I've been blessed to be a part of two great programs."

- 54-9 record during Coach Irvin's five- year tenure, outscoring their opponents 2381-962 (37.8-15.3 per game) - Four consecutive seasons with 425 points or more (2011 to 2014), had not been accomplished since 2005 - 10 of Kirkwood's 11 wins in 2014 were by at least three touchdowns - Zero regular season road losses since Sept., 25, 2010 at Parkway North

Numbers Never Lie