The Eagles took the opening kickoff and marched down the field against a stout Special Forces defense led by starting MLB Sam Orem.  The yards didn’t come easy, but the Eagles found a way to move the chains with tough runs by Parker Holland, Brad Beaver, and Anthony Saba.  The Eagles eventually moved the ball into the red zone, but an untimely holding call forced a long down and distance situation for the Eagles which ultimately stalled the drive.  The Eagles gave up the ball on downs as Coach Matt and vaunted “Black Defense” took the field.

The Eagles defense was sharp in the early going and stymied the Special Forces, forcing a punt and regaining possession in Special Forces territory.  The Eagles moved the ball effectively on the ground again gaining a first down and approaching the red zone.  The Eagles seemed to have the Special Forces on their heels as they fired off the line of scrimmage and ran downhill effectively as the first quarter came to an end.

To this point in the game, the Eagles had mostly run sweeps and counters in the running game.  It was clear that the Special Forces were selling out in pursuing the ball and playing the edges aggressively.  It was especially clear to Coach Jason who called a perfect play to counteract the Special Forces over-pursuing defense when he dialed Anthony Saba’s number on a perfectly executed reverse.  Anthony got the corner and outraced the Special Forces defenders for the game first score.  The extra point attempt failed, but the Eagles seized the lead (6-0) and the momentum in the game.   The Forces offense showed some spark gaining a first down on their next possession, but the Eagles defense prevailed as the first half drew to a close.

The third quarter of the game was a battle of the defenses.  Both teams were held scoreless and had little success moving the ball.  The Forces had kicked off to start the second half and maintained a field possession advantage throughout the second half as the defenses continued to trade blows. The big play of the quarter was a nice interception by Parker Holland to regain possession of the ball, but the Eagles offense was unable to take advantage of the turnover offensively.

The beginning of the fourth quarter had a similar flavor, but the field possession advantage was tilting even more in the Forces direction.  With time running out in the 4th quarter, the Forces finally broke a running play and the Eagles hearts with a last minute score to tie the ball game at six.  With such little time left, the Eagles would need to stop the extra point attempt and force overtime for the second week in a row.  They did just that as the sideline erupted in celebration.

The Special Forces won the toss and elected to go on defense to begin the overtime period.   On third and short the fleet foot Parker Holland took a pitch to the outside and danced his way into the end zone for the go ahead score.  The extra point attempt failed as the Special Forces made a great play defensively to stop the Eagles short of the endzone.  All the Eagles needed was a stop and the ballgame was theirs for the taking.  The Special Forces had other ideas.  On their possession, the Forces lined up in a trips right formation and the quarterback rolled out to the right and found a receiver open in the endzone to tie the game at 12 apiece.  The Eagles faced a do or die situation again on the extra point.  The Eagles D “did” and off to a second overtime we went.

In the second overtime, the Special Forces started on offense and lined up in the same “trips right” formation.  This time the Eagles overloaded to the strong side to address the formation and defend against the pass play that led to the previous touchdown. This time the Special Forces ran a counter play to the weak side as Pearson ran to daylight and into the endzone for the winning score.

All in all, it was a well played game on both sides of the ball.  It was a heart breaker for the Eagles… just one of those games where both teams deserved to win, but the Eagles will bounce back and will see the Special Forces again for the last regular season contest of the season.

9/5/09: @Rattlers – 10:30am – DMP#2
9/12/09: @Cardinals – 10:30am – QCMS
9/19/09: @Special Forces – 10:30am – DMP#1
9/26/09: Six Shooters – 10:30am – QCMS
10/3/09: Rams – 10:30am – DMP#2
10/10/09: Rattlers – 10:30am – DMP#2
10/17/09: @Cardinals – 10:30am – DMP#1
10/24/09: Special Forces – 10:30am – QCMS

Go Gettem’ Eagles!!

The story reminded me a bit of the situation with Kellie Ardans during the 2007 season.  For those of you who may not know, Kellie was the mother of one of our greatest Eagles, Maison Ardans. Kellie passed away during the 2007 football season from cancer.  The outpouring of support from the Eagles family was something that left an indelible impression on all of those who witnessed the tragedy.  To the Ardans… if you happen to read this.  We still and always will have fond memories of Kellie and you all remain in our heart of hearts.

The story (click here), is yet another great example of how sports can help to teach our young ones some of life’s most important lessons.  Enjoy… and I hope you are all doing well.  See you next fall.

So, it’s prediction time… Earlier this season, the Eagles beat the Rams in a game that they pretty much dominated from start to finish. Dakota Neer had a big first half returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and scored again on another long TD run (Dakota missed the second half with an elbow injury).  The Eagles defense was stout, but gave up a long run that the Rams ended up scoring on in the first half, but the Rams offense stalled the entire second half as Saba and Harris picked off pass attempts.  Danny Kittner provided the dagger with a late TD that sealed the victory 20-6.

I think the Birds are going to prevail, but I think it will be tight at half time.  I’ll go with 6-0 Birds.  I think we’ll get an insurance TD early in the fourth quarter and punch in the extra point to take a 13-0 lead.  Then, I think the Rams will score a 4th quarter TD to tighten the game to an uncomfortable 13-6 margin.  The Eagles will run out the clock threatening to score once again but take a knee and the victory 13-6.

The Special Forces (2-4) take on the Cardinals (3-3). Earlier this season the Cardinals beat Special Forces 12-0.  I see a similar outcome in this game.  The Cardinals are very good on Defense and frankly, the Special Forces didn’t show us anything on offense last week that the Cardinals can’t stop.  The Cardinals weakness is offense, but they just have more horses than the Special Forces and should dominate on both sides of the ball.  I’ll take the Cards 19-0 setting up a rematch with the Eagles in the semi-finals.

The third game matches the Rattlers (2-4) against the Bulldogs (2-4).  Just two weeks ago, the Rattlers edged the Bulldogs 12-6 and as a result ended up with the 4th seed in the playoffs to the Bulldogs 5th seed.  The winner of this game will likely take on the undefeated Diablos in the semi-finals.  I’m going with the upset here as the Bulldogs avenge their recent loss to the Rattlers in overtime 13-12.

Assuming the Schwam is correct… the semi-finals would line up with the Eagles (6-1) taking on the Cardinals (4-3) and the Diablos (6-0) taking on the Bulldogs (3-4).  Should be fun.  I’ll post results and pictures from Saturday’s game before the end of the weekend. Go EAGLES!!

Next Saturday, the Eagles play host to the Rams at Queen Creek Middle School at 8am.  The Eagles will need to bring their “A Game” to advance as the Rams have been playing much much better than they were when the Eagles faced them earlier this season.  The Eagles will practice Monday and Wednesday this week from 6-8 at Desert Mountain Park.

Given the Eagles had already clinched the second seed in the upcoming playoffs, the Eagles (4-1) matchup with the Special Forces (2-3) had “trap game” written all over it. With their incredible win over the Cardinals last weekend, the birds in black had already asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the postseason. This game was about pride and focus and momentum.

The Eagles took the field on Saturday morning on a four game win streak and looking to make a statement. The Special Forces were looking to even their record to 3-3 and improve their playoff seeding. Something had to give…

On their first touchdown drive the Eagles methodically moved the ball down the field as the offensive line blew the Special Forces off the line of scrimmage.  Dakota Neer and Danny Kittner took turns gashing their way down the field behind some great blocking by the offensive line.  The Eagles drew first blood as Kittner bounced one to the outside and raced into the endzone to put the Eagles on the board. Reed Erwin plowed his way into the endzone for the extra point to put the Eagles up 7-0.

On the next possession, the Eagles defense took the field and continued to dominate as it has all season.  The Special Forces tested the edges on the Eagles, but their efforts were fruitless as the Eagles played with discipline and a nasty disposition.  Having failed to move the ball on the edges, the Special Forces tried their luck up the gut.  The Eagles defense proved up to the task as the Special Forces running back was swarmed then stripped of the ball.  Wyatt “Ball Hawk” Harris jumped on the loose ball to regain possession for the Eagles.

The Eagles offense took the field looking to take advantage of the Special Forces miscue.  Having been burned by the Eagles on sweeps to the outside during the first quarter, the Special Forces defense made some adjustments and stacked the edges.  It worked for a couple of plays until Coach Gene recognized the adustment and dialed up Dakota Neer’s number on an inside running play.  Neer burst through the line of scrimmage and zig-zagged his way down the field on a spectacular touchdown run to put the Eagles up 13-0 early in the second quarter (PAT was no good).

On their next possession, the Special Forces were once again overmatched by the Eagles swarming defense.  The boys played disciplined football as they contained the running backs and forced them into the teeth of the Eagles defense.  It was a clinic folks and the Special Forces looked anything but “special” as the Eagles D forced a punt with 2 minutes remaining in the first half.

The Eagles regained possession with good field position looking to extend their lead before halftime.  Danny Kittner did just that scoring his second touchdown of the half with a fantastic run behind the Eagles offensive line.  Keanu Lopez busted through to the endzone on the extra point to extend the Eagles lead to 20-0.

The second half brought more misery to the Special Forces as Dakota Neer busted off his second TD of the game on a 40 yard touchdown run to open the third quarter.  With the score, the Eagles went up 26-0 with Regina leading the raucous crowd in a rendition of “Fly Eagles Fly”.  Smiles all around…

The Eagles could have coasted at this point as the game was well in hand, but the Eagles were hungry for more.  Desperately looking to score, the Special Forces went to devised an aerial attack in an attempt to catch the Eagles off guard.  Apparently they didn’t get the memo that the Eagles sport a ball hawk by the name of Wyatt Harris who stepped in front of an errant pass and plucked his 3rd interception of the season.  With the pick, the Eagles regained possession at their own 10 yard line.

On the very next play, Javin Wright took a handoff up the middle and outraced the Special Forces defenders on a 90 yard dagger that seemed to drain whatever fight remained in the Special Forces.  It was Javin’s second TD in as many games and he’s really become a major threat with the ball in his hands.  The kid can flat out fly and he’s a relative unknown quantity to some of the teams the Eagles faced earlier in the season.  As such… we shall call him “Weapon X”.  With the score, the Eagles extended their lead to 33-0 just prior to the end of the 3rd quarter.

On their next possession, the Special Forces went to the air once again.  Didn’t we cover this already?  DO NOT THROW THE BALL WHEN WYATT HARRIS IS IN THE GAME!!  Once again the Special Forces missed the memo as Wyatt jumped in front of another errant pass for his second interception (and third takeaway) of the game.  To their credit, the Special Forces had scored on thier previous possession and were driving when Harris regained possession for the Eagles at their ten yard line.  Enter Dakota Neer…

Having already scored twice, Dakota took a pitch from Reed Erwin, broke a couple of tackles and flew down the field for the Eagles second 90 yard touchdown run of the day.  With the score, the Eagles led 39-6.

After stuffing the Special Forces next possession, Coach Gene called running plays for some of the boys that don’t normally have a chance to run the ball.  Tyler Magee had a great run for 9 yards and several of the other younger players had a chance to tote the rock as the clock wound down.  Then, on a broken play, Reed Erwin raced around the end and down the far sideline on a 50 yard run.  Reed was stopped just short of the endzone, but it was a heck of a run.  Mercifully the whistle blew signaling the end of the game before the Eagles punched in yet another score.

With their fifth consecutive win, the Eagles moved to 5-1 on the season and open the playoffs next Saturday at Queen Creek Middle School against the 7th seeded Rams (1-5).  The Eagles handled the Rams 20-6 earlier this season, but the Rams have been playing much better ball of late.  This should be a tough test for the kids as rumor has it that the Rams have been bringing a few players down from their Jr. Pee Wee team to help them compete.  GO EAGLES!!

In other STYFL Mighty Might action, the Diablos pasted the Special Forces 36 to 6 and the Rattlers edged the Bulldogs 12 to 6.  The Junior Pee Wee Eagles thrashed the Cardinals 38-0 to move to 3-2 on the season while the Pee Wee Eagles fell to 4-2 on the season with their loss to the Cardinals.

Although the MM Eagles have clinched the second seed, they still have to beat the Special Forces to maintain their momentum heading into the playoffs.  The matchup between the Rattlers and Cardinals could have second round playoff implications assuming the Eagles advance out of the first round.  Both of these teams gave the Eagles a run for their money during the regular season and would present a formidable challenge to the Eagles desire for a post-season rematch with the Diablos.

Let the games begin…

WOW… pause, sigh… wow, what a game! In what was easily the most gut-wrenching game of the season, the Eagles notched a 13-12 triple overtime victory over the Cardinals to move to 4-1 on the season. In doing so, the Eagles ensured at least a tie for second place in the STYFL Mighty Might Division.

It wasn’t easy, but the Eagles showed a truck load of heart in a game that frankly could have went either way. This was a game that was won on shear will and determination over a very talented team. Usually, it’s pretty easy to isolate the big plays in a game when I write these game summaries. This time… not so much.

There were so many huge plays I could talk about… from Trevor Caron’s incredible defensive play on the edge, to the stellar performances by Bay Finch, Drew Ball and Tristin Ingram on the interior of the defensive line, major defensive contributions from Tyler McGhee, Alec Deaton, Konnor Lemmons, London Darger, Lawrence Charles, Dason Gillespie and Javin Wright, to a bone crushing hit by Reed Erwin… and on and on and on. The boys played like champions on this day. “Heart”, “Toughness”, “Character”, “Courage”, “Perseverance”, “Determination”… you name it… they had it.

The game started off a bit slowly as the Eagles received the opening kick and stalled on their first possession. The Cardinals seemed to gameplan pretty well for the Eagles as they stacked the edges and contained the Eagles potent outside running game. The first couple of possessions eventually ended on downs, but the Eagles were definitely winning the field position battle as the offense was moving the ball, but coming up short of the endzone.

It was fitting that the games first touchdown came on a defensive play by Eagle safety Wyatt Harris. Apparently frustrated by their lack to get anything going on the ground, the Cardinals decided to try their luck through the air. Bad decision… the Cards ran a sweep to the right which evolved into a halfback pass. The Cardinal receiver was temporarily open until Harris stepped in front, snatched the pass for an interception and outraced the Cardinal defenders for a touchdown. The Eagles failed to reach the endzone on the extra point attempt and led 6-0.

The remainder of the first half was a defensive clinic by the Eagles. I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure the Cardinals never gained a first down in the first half. In fact, I’m all but positive that the Cardinals total yardage was in the negative. The defense was literally all over the field and the Cardinals didn’t appear to have any answers. Despite several drives where the Eagles moved the chains, including a first and goal, the Cardinals defense was also very good. The first half was a classic “defensive struggle” and it was only fitting that the Eagles led 6-0 at halftime on the strength of Wyatt Harris’ “Pick 6″.

The second half was nearly a carbon copy of the first half as the Eagles moved the chains, but failed to score while the Eagles defense feasted on the Cardinals stalling offense. The third quarter ended with the Eagles still ahead 6-0 and with the way the defense was playing, you sensed that six points was probably going to be enough to preserve the win.

Toward the middle of the fourth quarter the Eagles defense came up with another turnover on downs. Coach Gene had made some great adjustments earlier in the game and the Eagles were moving the ball nicely on a steady diet of run plays up the middle. With about 2 minutes remaining in the game, the Eagles faced a 4th and short situation that would have iced the game, but the Cardinals were able to get the stop near their own 20 yard line.

Once again, the Eagles defense took the field intent on ending the game right there and then. On the first three downs, the Eagles vaunted “D” did just that, stacking the line of scrimmage and swarming the Cardinals ball carriers as they approached the line of scrimmage. Then the unthinkable happened… with less than a minute to play in regulation, the Cardinals finally broke a run to the outside and took it 80 yards to tie the game at 6 apiece with the extra point pending.

The Eagles dialed up the defensive intensity yet again and stuffed the Cardinals extra point attempt to preserve the tie. The Eagles regained possession with less than a minute to play in the half and two timeouts at their disposal. The offense gained good yardage on the first two plays, but were still a long way from the endzone as the team huddled near midfield. On the ensuing play, Dakota Neer took a pitch on a sweep, reversed his field and bounced one to the sideline. The Cardinals desperately pursued the fleet footed running back, but from my vantage point, it looked like Dakota would score. With one defender left to beat, Dakota cut back sharply toward the endzone at the 5 yard line. The defender managed to catch just enough of him to throw off his balance. With time running down, the referees marked the ball at the three. Without any timeouts, Coach Gene feverishly tried to get the offense set to run another play. Unfortunately, time expired just before the Eagles were able to get the play off.

OVERTIME!!

The Cardinals won the toss and chose to go on defense to begin the overtime stanza. Each team would start possessions from the 10 yard line until one team emerged victorious. If after the second overtime, the teams were still tied, both teams would get a crack at it from the 5 yard line. This is indeed what happened as both teams struggled to move the ball. (Side note: Dakota Neer suffered an asthma related condition after his exhausting run at the end of regulation and was unable to participate in the overtime).

After two consecutive possessions, the Eagles were given possession on the 5 yard line. Danny Kittner and Javin Wright, who had toted the majority of the Eagles overtime carries, both had tough runs to set up a 3rd and goal at the 2 yard line. Then it happened… Javin Wright took a handoff up the middle and absolutely would not be denied of the touchdown as he bulled his way into the endzone for the go ahead score. On the next play, the Eagles elected to go for one on the extra point attempt from the 3 yard line. Coach Gene dialed Kittner’s number and Danny answered with a determined run that crossed the plane of the endzone giving the Eagles a 7 point advantage 13-6.

The Cardinals took possession on the 5 yard line and ultimately overcame the Eagles front to draw within 1 point on a 4th and goal TD run. The Cardinals then elected to go for a 2 point try from the 10 yard line. A questionable call given that the Cardinals had only gained 10 yards on one play throughout the course of the game… but hey, we’ll take it! After calling a timeout, the Cardinals quarterback rolled to his right and fired a hail mary into the endzone. Danny Kittner jumped in front of the errant pass and intercepted the ball to preserve the win for the Eagles 13-12.

The sidelines and fan base went absolutely nuts as the Eagles danced on the field in celebration. It was a heck of a crazy game… in fact, I think it may have been the most emotionally exhausting football games I’ve ever witnessed. It was EPIC folks… the stuff of legends!

The 5th quarter brought more good news for the Eagles as the boys in green once again dominated the stanza and remained undefeated on the season. Mathew Moore and Michael “Flip” Alexander scored on long touchdown runs as the kids dominated 12-0.

With the win the Eagles moved to 4-1 and clinched second place in the regular season standings. The Eagles host the Special Forces next week to close out the regular season.

With wins over the Cardinals and the Special Forces, the Eagles would be guaranteed the #2 seed heading into the first round of the playoffs on November 1.  Since there are seven teams, the league will hold a play-in playoff round featuring games between the #2-#7 teams.  Should the Eagles end up with the #2 seed, they would play the team with the weakest record at the conclusion of the regular season. At this point, their opponent would be the Rams who the Eagles beat earlier this season 20-6.  I know, I know… one game at a time.  It’s fun to speculate though.  I just have the feeling that the Eagles will run the table and set themselves up nicely for post season play.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see.  Go EAGLES!!

The Eagles took the field Saturday morning for a key match up with the Rattlers as both teams jockey for playoff positioning. Coming off their bye week, the Eagles were chomping at the bit to get back on the field and into the endzone.

The Eagles were a bit short handed as Danny Kittner, Trent Hatch, and Haiden Stowers missed the game due to Fall break family vacations. The Eagles were also dealt a big blow when two-way starter Wyatt Harris missed the weight cutoff by a measly 4 ounces. (The league really needs to think hard about their weight policies in my opinion… I can see 4 pounds, but 4 ounces more than half way through the season?) Javin Wright also missed the first half because he missed a practice last week due to illness. (Yet another questionable rule in my opinion).

At any rate, the absence of these key players provided an opportunity for some of our young bucks to step in and get the job done. And that they did as the Eagles came out and dominated the ball game from the opening kickoff and ultimately prevailed 18-12 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate.

Dakota Neer had another sensational game as he turned an off tackle run into a one man reverse play and raced down the sidelines for the games opening score late in the first quarter. The Rattlers foiled the Eagles point after try attempt leaving the score 6-0.

The Eagles defense was dominant once again as the Rattlers were only able to manage one first down in the entire first half and never threatened to score on the Eagles. Offensively, the Eagles were their own worst enemy having been uncharacteristically flagged for an assortment of holding and illegal procedure penalties. The penalties put the Eagles in difficult down and distance situations, and to their credit, the Rattlers made some nice plays defensively to stop the Eagles powerful running game. The half ended with the Eagles leading 6-0 and threatening to score deep in Rattler territory.

Halftime brought some inspirational speeches from the coaching staff who was imploring to the boys to “Flip the switch and play smart Eagle football in the second half”. As an observer, you could sense that the only team that could beat the Eagles on this day was the Eagles themselves. A fact that Coach Gene emphasized as the Eagles rested and rehydrated under the shade at the south end of the football field.

The Eagles apparently took inspiration from the halftime speech as they came out fired up to start the second half. Keanu Lopez belted a nice squib kick on the kickoff which the Rattlers had difficulty fielding as the Eagles kickoff team raced down the field. With a loose ball in his sights, Lopez made a beeline for the ball and recovered for the Eagles near mid field.

The Eagles didn’t waste much time cashing in on the mistake as Anthony Saba punched one up the gut for a score to extend the Eagles lead to 12-0. To their credit, the Rattlers once again turned back the Eagles extra point attempt.

The Eagles defense was again dominant on the next possession and regained possession for the Eagles offense. The Rattlers proved up to the task as they stopped the Eagles just short of the endzone on a drive that would have put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter.

On the first couple of plays, the Eagles defensive reserves layed the wood on the Rattlers with some bone crushing hits and gang tackles. On third down, the Rattlers finally broke one and raced into the endzone to pull to within one score 12-6.

On the next possession, the Eagles called on Dakota Neer to provide some insurance and Dakota delivered a long touchdown run leaving several Rattler defenders grasping at air and the rest eating his dust. The score put the Eagles back in front comfortably 18-6 with time winding down in the fourth quarter.

The Rattlers managed to break another long run just before the final horn to draw within a touchdown, but it was too little, too late as the Eagles notched their third victory of the season 18-12.

The Eagles remained perfect in the 5th quarter this year as the kids managed to outlast the Rattlers 6-0. Michael Alexander had another spectacular touchdown run as he tiptoed down the sideline for the only score of the stanza. The Rattlers 5th quarter team was game and a tough challenge for our boys, but in the end we had a little too much mojo for them to compete with. Great job by all!

Next week, the Eagles will match up against the 2-2 Cardinals in what should prove to be one of the Eagles toughest games to date. The Cardinals were upset by the Rams this weekend, but have played dominant defense all season. Should be an interesting challenge. Should the Eagles manage to pull out the victory, they all but guarantee a #2 seed heading into the playoffs on 11/1.