It’s hard to believe we’ve already reached the final week of the high school football regular season. In just a few days, 384 teams will be preparing for the IHSA playoffs, and the Carmi-White County Bulldogs will be among them.
Carmi officially punched its ticket to the postseason with a 72-12 win over Edwards County last Friday night. However, before the Bulldogs can turn their full attention to the playoffs, they have one more regular season game to take care of. Carmi will host the winless Eldorado Eagles on Friday night in the final home game of the season, which also means it’s time to celebrate Senior Night.
To say this season has been a struggle for Eldorado would be an understatement. After graduating a large senior class in May, the Eagles have been forced to rely heavily on younger players throughout the 2026 season. Eldorado has just two seniors on its roster and enters Friday night’s matchup with an 0-8 record. The Eagles have managed to score a total of just 14 points through their first eight games.
In small town football, things tend to come in waves. Some years, the numbers and experience are there, while other years, programs have to work through growing pains and give younger players an opportunity to develop. It’s something Carmi knows all too well after going through a difficult 2025 season of its own.
“We’ve been there, we know what it’s like,” said CWCHS Head Coach Clinton Wolff.
Despite the Eagles’ struggles, the Bulldogs know they still have to prepare for what Eldorado brings to the field. The Eagles will stick with their traditional T-formation offense, mixing in a few wrinkles along the way. Rather than relying on one primary running back, Eldorado has spread the workload around to several players throughout the season.
Zayne Boulds leads the Eagles in rushing with 386 yards on 101 carries. Paxton Walters has added 278 yards on just 20 carries along with a touchdown. Clayton Hendrix has rushed for 126 yards on 33 carries and has also found the end zone once.
At quarterback, Easton Cummins has been a part of the Eagles’ ground game with 56 rushing yards on 19 carries. Through the air, Cummins has thrown for just 11 yards and has one interception on the season.
On paper, there’s little question that the Bulldogs enter Friday night’s game as the favorites.
Carmi has found its stride over the last few weeks and is coming off one of its most impressive performances of the season. Still, with the postseason right around the corner, the biggest challenge may be making sure the team stays focused on the task in front of it rather than looking ahead to next week’s playoff opener. The Bulldogs have put together some strong performances down the stretch, and Wolff wants to see that continue as the team wraps up the regular season.
“We have to take care of ourselves,” said Wolff. “We’ve done a really really good job over the last few weeks and playing really good football, and we have to continue that as we look forward to the playoffs.”
Friday night will also give Bulldog fans one final opportunity to recognize this year’s senior class at home. As is tradition for the final home game of the regular season, Carmi will honor its seniors during Senior Night festivities.
The Bulldogs will recognize four seniors: Jazz Duckworth, Justus Tauiliili, Jayse Digman, and Laeden Vargas.
Tauiliili is in his first season with the program after moving to Carmi late last fall. Meanwhile, Duckworth, Digman, and Vargas, on the other hand, have been with the program through the highs and lows of the past several seasons.
All three were on the varsity roster as sophomores during Carmi’s 2024 playoff season. They also experienced the tough times that came with the 2025 winless campaign. Now, after sticking with the program through those ups and downs, they get to finish their high school careers with a team that has found success and earned another trip to the playoffs.
With a strong junior class waiting in the wings to take over next season, this year’s seniors have played an important role in helping lead the program in the right direction. Their leadership and commitment have helped set the tone for a team that has continued to improve throughout the season.
Wolff said the seniors have done a great job setting an example for the younger players in the program.
“A lot of our younger guys look up to them,” said Wolff. “They just have a great mentality, and a great mindset about what our program is and what we want our program to be and they do that the right way, and they lead that way at practice and in games.”
As for the playoffs, a win over Eldorado would put Carmi in a strong position to potentially host a first round game in the newly expanded IHSA football playoffs. With the Bulldogs already having secured a postseason berth, the focus now shifts to finishing the regular season on a high note and seeing where they land in the bracket.
The official IHSA playoff bracket will be released late Saturday night, with first-round games scheduled for Saturday, October 24.
Stay tuned to the WRUL Sports Facebook page for updates regarding who the Bulldogs will see in the playoffs.
Fans can watch and listen to Friday’s game on 97.3 FM WRUL and the WRUL Sports YouTube Channel. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM with the Senior Night Ceremony beginning at 6:30 PM.