Say hello to Trinity Catholic, a team with a senior class that's received more than 150 Division-I scholarship offers, including guys like linemen Ira Henry (6-5, 310) and Jalen St. John (6-6, 315), and quarterback Isaiah Williams (2,178 passing yards this season, 27 touchdowns, only three interceptions).

"What I've told some people is that this is the University of Alabama's JV team," Tracy said with a smile, "and at certain positions, it really is. I don't know how many D-I kids they've got, but they just have so many great athletes.

"But it is what it is. They're in our bracket and we drew them this round."

Hey, bigger, stronger and faster isn't everything.

There's also this:

"They are very talented, but do they play as a team? I don't think they're nearly as fundamentally sound as Blair Oaks, but they're so athletic, they don't have to be," said Tracy, whose eighth-ranked Eagles (10-2) will host the No. 2 Titans (10-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in the Class 3 quarterfinals in Ashland.

Like the Eagles, the Titans have lost two games, so they can't be that good, can they? Well, their losses are to a nationally-ranked team from Georgia and always potent East St. Louis --- in three overtimes.

"I told our kids this week that we're going to show you film and we can ooh and ahh, but that's who we're playing," said Tracy, who's 36-21 in his fifth season at Southern Boone. "We're not scared because at the end of the day, they have to line up against us, too, and we've done a pretty good job, ourselves, to get to this position."

You could say that, as this season and this team are historic --- the first trip to the quarterfinals in school history.

"It's incredible to do things this school has never done before," senior quarterback/safety back Sam Stichnote said, "and really sets the precedent for the future."

The Eagles made it to this point by grinding out a 12-6 win at Moberly in the district finals on a brutal night last Friday.

"That was a dynamic environment --- cold and windy with snow," Tracy said. "I've been coaching for 15 years and I played for 10 or 12, but I've never coached or played in anything like that. We've played games on wet fields, but this was ice, basically.

"People always say, This is football weather!' and I'm like, 'I don't see that this makes football more appealing in any way.'"

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TO NO ONE'S SURPRISE, STICHNOTE came up big in the biggest moment at Moberly --- he scored on a 34-yard run, had an interception, and forced no less than three fumbles.

"In any of these big games," Tracy said, "he's always risen to the occasion."

Stichnote has thrown for 818 yards and 10 touchdowns (he only averages eight passes per game), and rushed for 1,147 yards and 17 scores. Defensively, he's third on the team in tackles (65 total, 29 solo) and leads the team in interceptions with four.

In his spare time, he's the punter and No. 1 punt returner.

"He's such a great competitor, it doesn't matter what it is --- if he played kick ball, he'd be dominating," Tracy said. "Every day is a competition, whether it's on the field, on the court, in the weight room, you just have to work your butt off. If you do, in time it will pay off.

"It's not like he's overly sized (6-2, 180) and he's not the fastest kid on the field, but his determination, his grit, his toughness ... I've never coached a kid who has all those intangibles."

Stichnote is a four-year, three-sport star, who simply gets it. And if you weren't sure, you can't coach it.

"Since the day he walked into the high school, Sam hasn't stopped working," Tracy said, "and his favorite sport is whatever's in season. And the amount of film he watches ... sometimes, he'll see tendencies the coaches don't even see.

"He just does everything right --- I know that it's a cliche', but it's true with Sam --- and his leadership has resonated throughout the entire team. It's not only what he's done for the program this year, but what he's done for the program for several years to come. Just incredible."

Senior running back Colby Phillips gives the Eagles a potent 1-2 punch on offense, as he's rushed for 1,353 yards and 19 touchdowns.

"He's fast, he can find the little creases and once he finds the hole, he hits a second gear," Tracy said. "It's really rare to see him get tackled by just one player."

Senior Brett Price and junior Tyler Freese anchor both the offensive and defensive lines, while senior linebacker Brett Stanfield leads the team in tackles with 108 total (35 solo), a total that's closing in on the single-season school record.

All impressive stuff, but now this ... here come the Titans. The young Eagles, who only have six seniors on the roster, are in the classic scenario of everything to win, nothing to lose.

"That's exactly right," Tracy said. "This is a true underdog story, it's the Miracle on Ice, basically."

Actually, the Eagles played on ice last week, but you know what he means. You could also call this Hoosiers in helmets.

"Those movies were made for a reason, because they did happen," Tracy said. "(The Titans) aren't super human, they're not super heroes, they're just really talented football players. We just have to go out there and battle and leave it all on the field --- and that still may not be enough.

"But if we can walk off the field and know that we gave it all we had, then we can hold our heads high."

The Southern Boone Eagles celebrate their district championship on a cold, snowy night last Friday in Moberly.

Eagles face brutal quarterfinal
test against talented Titans