Once again, Josh Johnson set the tone early with a 50 yard TD scamper in the opening quarter.  The Eagles Silver offense and defense did an outstanding job getting the birds on the right track and  setting the tone for the rest of the game.

The Eagles picked up where the Silver units left off as they kicked off and began the first quarter on defense.  Javin Wright started things off with a brutal tackle for loss that forced the Cardinals into a 3rd and long situation.  Maison Ardans recovered a fumble on the next play to gain possession for the Eagles.  The Eagles wasted little time capitalizing on the turnover as Anthony Saba found the end zone on a 37 yard scamper to put the Eagles up 6-0.  The extra point attempt failed, but the Eagles had seized the lead and the early momentum.

The Eagles defense stymied the Cardinals on the next possession forcing a 3 and out.  Once again the Eagles capitalized on a short field as Parker “Turbo” Holland gashed the Cardinals defense on a 35 yard touchdown run to put the Eagles ahead 12-0.  After forcing another turnover on downs, the Eagles regained possession toward the end of the first quarter and began marching the ball toward the end zone on a pair of great runs by QB Brad Beaver.

On the first play of the second quarter Beaver took off on another bootleg and left the Cardinals defense in his dust as he raced into the endzone fron 25 yards out.  It was a brilliant series by the young quarterback who showed incredible speed and agility as he single-handedly carved up the Cardinals defense on the drive.  Javin Wright punched in the extra point attempt to put the Eagles ahead 19-0.  Good Times!!  The Eagles finished the half on defense highlighted by a huge sack by Anthony Saba and a timely interception by Triston Dalmolin.

The third quarter was highlighted by the defense as Tyler Magee and Braden Bauer recorded sacks.  The Eagles bought some insurance on a brilliant run by the Eagles fleet footed tight end Javin “Buddha” Wright on an end around that ended up in the end zone.  Can you say, “Dagger”?!

The Eagles offense moved the ball effectively in the second half, but the defense was the story.  Darian Lucero, Darin Elli, and Braden Bauer all made fantastic plays in the Cardinal backfield.  As the fourth quarter drew to a close, Coach Beaver started to call some running plays for players that had yet to carry the ball for the Eagles this season.  Tyler Magee ran the ball around the left end for 7 tough yards, Braden Bauer bulldozed his way for a first down, and Chase Ferry bounced off Cardinal defenders on a great run for the Eagles.  Wyatt Harris capped off the game with another interception to ice the game as the final whistle blew with the Eagles ahead 25-6.

With the win, the Eagles move to 5-2 on the season.  The regular season finale is next week at 10:30am at Queen Creek Middle School where the Eagles will face off against the 5-2 Special Forces for the #2 seed in the playoffs.  Go EAGLES!!

With all the missing players, the Eagles were going to have to gut this one out and do whatever it took to get the “W”.  It was one of those, “Just Win Baby” games.  No need for style points, just get the win and for gosh sake… don’t cough on anybody!

The Eagles “Silver O” set the tone and absolutely dominated the opening quarter led by Joshua “Crazy Legs” Johnson on a 30 yard scamper during the Eagles first drive.  Wolfgang Kassa, Javin Wright, and Braden Bauer followed up Josh’s run with fine runs in their own right to put the Eagles in scoring position.  JJ capped the drive with another spectacular run into the endzone.  The Eagles D dominated the opening quarter highlighted by a timely fumble recovery by Thomas Lorimer… it was clear that despite their depleted numbers, the Eagles came to play.

The Eagles kicked off to open the first quarter of regulation play.  If it wasn’t clear already that the Eagles came to play on this day, it was absolutely clear when the Eagles “Black D” took the field on the opening possession.  Wolfgang “Gangsta” Kassa made two enormous plays from his defensive tackle position recording a thunderous sack and a vicious hit on a tackle for loss to regain possession of the ball for the Eagles.

The Eagles offensive ground attack was able to move the ball in the first half, but untimely penalties and strong play by the Rattlers defense thwarted the Eagles and prevented the Eagles from scoring.  It was a defensive struggle for sure and the Eagles were bringing the wood on defense.  The second quarter was highlighted by tackles for loss by Chris Galloway and Javin Wright both of whom seemed to be all over the field.  The half fittingly ended tied 0-0.  Gut check time!

The Eagles began the second half with the ball, but were unable to move the chains resulting in a turnover on downs.  The Eagles D picked up where it left off in the first half with stellar plays by Wright, Galloway and Drew Ball who all recorded tackles in the Rattlers backfield forcing the Rattlers to punt deep within their own territory.

Josh Johnson fielded the punt and zigged and zagged his way deep into Rattler territory for the Eagles best field position of the game.  The Eagles wasted little time capitalizing on the favorable field position as Anthony Saba scored on a 25 yard scamper to put the Eagles ahead 6-0.  the way the Eagles defense was playing, the Eagles had to like their chances.

The fourth quarter was a defensive clinic for the Eagles.   Several Eagles including Javin Wright, Anthony Saba, Drew Ball, Cash Heath, Bay Finch, and Bryce Danielson all recorded tackles for loss in the stanza.  I don’t have any official stats, but I’m pretty sure the Rattlers ended up with negative yardage in the second half.  Bryce Danielson was an absolute beast in this game recording 3 sacks and several tackles for loss.  Bay Finch also pitched in with a sack to cap off a game that belonged to the Eagles.

The game ended with the Eagles ahead 6-0 and moved the Eagles to 4-2 on the season.  The Eagles play the Cardinals (0-6) in a rematch of their overtime thriller during Week 2 of the season.  Should the Eagles win that game to move to 5-2 it sets up a huge regular season finale with the Special Forces that will have playoff seeding implications on 10/24.

The Eagles came out slugging in the first half on both sides of the ball.  The offense was able to move the ball effectively on the ground and the defense was doing a great job stopping the Rams triple option offense.  The game remained tied 0-0 as the first quarter drew to a close.  The Eagles had the ball and were marching into Rams territory.  Then it happened, Parker Holland took a handoff and raced into the end zone for the games first score as the Eagles sideline erupted with emotion.  There was much left to accomplish, but the Eagles had just accomplished two things that no other team had done to this point in the season… scored and held a lead over the Rams.  The extra point attempt failed, but the Eagles led the game 6-0 and man it felt darn good.

The Rams took the ball and matriculated the ball down the field with a pound the ball, move the chains mentality.  The Rams ultimately scored as the second quarter was drawing to a close and converted the extra point to regain the lead 7-6.  The Rams may have grasped the lead and the momentum, but it had to be clear from their perspective that the Eagles were no pushovers and would test them in the second half.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, the game sort of got away from them in the second half.  It wasn’t that the Rams did anything all that spectacular, they just were a bit more consistent and ultimately wore the Eagles down with their student body right formations and their run/pass option sets.  To their credit, the Rams kept the Eagles defense on it’s heels with a well balance run/pass attack that at time left the Eagles defense a bit flat footed.  The Rams ended up winning 25-6, but this was one of those games where the final score by itself doesn’t accurately reflect the relative competitiveness of the actual game.  It was a tough lesson for our young men, but I have a feeling they will fare better against the Rams if we face them again in the playoffs.

The Eagles (2-1) took the field to face the Six Shooters (1-2) in a pivotal game that could get the Eagles back on track and re-establish the team as a front-runner in the STYFL Jr. Pee Wee Division.  Coming off an emotional loss to the Special Forces and given next week’s showdown with the undefeated Rams, the game felt very much like one of those “trap games” where good teams occasionally fall prey to inferior opponents.  The Six Shooters gained their first win of the season the previous week over the Cardinals and came into this game with confidence and momentum.

As usual, the Eagles defense was tough as nails and the Six Shooters really had a hard time moving the ball.  At times it felt alot like the Eagles were the ones with guns in their holsters as the offense seemed to be finding ways to shoot themselves in the foot as they moved the ball down the field, but failed to punch it in for a score in the first quarter.  That’s not to discredit the Six Shooters defense, because they were a game unit that showed plenty of grit and determination throughout the first half, but the Eagles appeared to be the more talented team.

Ultimately, the Eagles won the field position battle and ended up with the ball on a short field in the second quarter. Anthony Saba took a pitch from QB Brad Beaver and scampered down the left sideline for the games first and final touchdown of the game.  The Birds were able to punch it in on the extra point attempt and led 7-0 as the game headed into half time.

The second half was a slugfest as the defenses controlled the game.  Again the Eagles eventually tilted the field possession in their favor with a strong running game led by Parker “Turbo” Holland.  To their credit, the Six Shooters managed to stuff the Eagles with a nice goal line stand.  The Eagles defense took the field and the Six Shooters hearts when Maison Ardans clobbered the Six Shooters running back in the end zone for safety and a 9-0 lead.  The Eagles held the Six Shooters in check the rest of the way and the offense mercifully ran out the clock giving the Eagles their third win of the season and setting up a huge game with the undefeated Rams next weekend.

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.

Folks… if you thought last week’s overtime win over the Cardinals was exciting, then this game was straight up “off the damn chain”.  24 young men left it on the field last Saturday and fell just inches short of their objective.  Thing is… they may have lost that game on the scoreboard, but they won on so many other levels that the outcome really doesn’t matter.

Much like our Eagles, the Special Forces are a well coached, well oiled football factory. They brought their “A Game” Saturday, and if weren’t for a nickle here and a dime there, the pendulum could have easily swung in the Eagles direction.

Standing on the sidelines, I was close enough to the action to witness how resilient this young group of men really is.  It was hot… “Wicked Hawt” as they say in Boston… on that football field last Saturday afternoon and it was a hard hitting, “oh yeah, well take that” kind of game.  Several players came off the off the field during the course of the game due to injury and/or exhaustion. It was a battle, a “Donny Brook”, and a “Backyard Brawl” all wrapped into one! And our kids didn’t back down on iota.

Regardless of their role in the game, from the sideline to the huddle, our kids showed tremendous moxy and mettle throughout the game.  My personal favorite was watching the kids on the sideline who didn’t play as much rally around their teammates and encourage them to keep pushing and keep punching back. It was one solid unified unit… a team’s team if you will.  I personally couldn’t have been prouder.

The first half featured a TD run by Anthony Saba on a reverse and an interception by Parker “Turbo” Holland.  Two special plays that stood out to me.  The Defense was stout throughout and the Special Forces really couldn’t get anything going offensively.  Most of the first half was played on the Special Forces side of the field.  We took it to them.
Galloway, Ardans, Saba, Beaver, Holland, Wright, Eager, Kassa, Harris, Danielson, Arvay, etc… were electric on D.  Total team effort.  The “D” was up to no good again and the offense was moving the ball as the first half drew to a close with the Eagles leading 6-0 and winning the field position battle. Plus, we were receiving the second half kickoff.  Life was good.

The guys lined up to receive the second half kickoff and the Special Forces covertly aligned their kickoff team for a stealthy onside kick.  Great call by the Forces as the Eagles were not prepared for the play and the Forces recovered near midfield.  The Black “D” took the field and faced a fired up Special Forces offensive unit that had it’s best field postion of the game.  The Eagles held the lead, but the momentum shift was undeniable.  The Forces offense was ready to rumble, but the Eagles “D” let out a collective “Ahhhh HELLLL No…” and thwarted the drive regaining possession of the ball.

The second half was more or less a repeat of the first half with the teams trading possessions.  However, this time the field position battle was tilting in the Special FOrces direction. Exhausted and weary, but not about to quit, both teams continued to pound on each other as time was winding down in the fourth quarter.

In what appeared to be a do or die proposition for the Special Forces, their offense took the field for what appeared to be their last possession/last chance to tie the ballgame or take the lead.  To their credit, they were able to punch the ball in on a nice counter play to the weakside as the Eagles stacked the strong side expecting the Forces to run the triple option set they had been running all game.  It was a nice piece of play calling by the Forces.  Clutch play no doubt with a critical extra point conversion upcoming.

Showing the heart of a lion… the Eagles “D” strung out the extra point attempt and kept the score knotted at 6 apiece. The Birds had a chance to run a few plays, but simply had too much green between themselves and the goal line to snatch the win in regulation.

Just like last week, the Eagles began the overtime period with the ball.  Parker Holland wasted no time finding the corner of the endzone on a sweet run around the right edge for the go ahead score.  The extra point was no good, but the Eagles were literally four downs from paydirt.  The Forces weren’t finished though as they found the endzone on their first possession as well.  Here we go again… critical extra point…. Forces convert and game over… miss it and we’re headed to double OT.  12-12, Double OT it is…

The Eagles gave it everything they had, but got themselves in a deep whole on two plays that ended up in big losses to begin the second overtime. The Special Forces would again possess the ball, only this time a score would equal victory.  The Eagles stuffed the first run attempt, but on second down the Special Forces found an open man in the endzone for the game winning TD.

After the game, Coach Beaver addressed the kids who were visibly upset with the outcome of the game. As the assistant coaches and loved ones looked on, Jason used the opportunity to acknowledge the herculean effort the boys had left out on the field that day and to encourage the boys to keep their chins up. Truth be told… there were no losers on that field today.  Just our little warriors who absolutely gave it everything they had and fell a bit short.  It’s a long season fellas… we’ll get another shot at these guys down the road.  Bring on the Six Shooters… 10:30am Saturday 9/26 at Queen Creek Middle School.

The Silver Defense began the opening stanza and set the tone early as Bay Finch and Triston Dalmolin arrived in the Cardinal backfield with bad intentions making several solid plays behind the line of scrimmage. Ultimately, the Silver D overwhelmed the Cardinals with a swarming defense and solid gang tackling shutting out the Cardinals in the opening quarter.

The Silver Offense was led by QB Trevor “T-Money” Caron who showed some fancy footwork eluding would-be tacklers and outracing Cardinal defenders into the endzone for the periods only score.  Triston Dalmolin put the cherry on top with a nice romp up the middle for the extra point.  The period ended with the Birds in the driver’s seat 7-0. It was an outstanding effort by the kids in black that set the tone for the remainder of the game!

Led by team captains Bradley Beaver, Wyatt Harris, Braden Bauer, and Chase Ferry, the Eagles won the coin toss and deferred electing to open the game on Defense and receive the ball to open the third quarter. Taking its queue from the Silver unit, the Eagles Black D took the field and immediately laid the smack down on the Cardinals. Javin Wright and Parker Holland made sweet TFL plays as the Cardinals attempted to get their running game in gear.  The Eagles would have none of it as they forced a turnover on downs.

The Eagles offense took the field and made some nice plays on tough runs by QB Brad Beaver and RB Holland, but the Cardinals made plays when they needed to and stymied Eagle drives with great defense on the edges.

It was a good thing the none of the officers in attendance were “on duty” because the Eagles Black “D” was straight up assaulting the Cardinals in the first half punctuated by a crushing sack by Anthony Saba and a huge hit by Cash Heath.  The first half ended in a 0-0 tie.

The Eagles opened the third quarter with the ball and Parker Holland got things started immediately with a great run around the right corner for a first down. Parker took another pitch from Beaver and sprung into the open field led by Wyatt Harris who absolutely ear-holed a Cardinal defender from his TE position.  The Eagles were in business deep in Cardinal territory and it looked like momentum was shifting in favor of the Eagles.  Unfortunately, a couple of miscues and untimely penalties thwarted the Eagles drive as the Cardinal regained possession with their backs pressed firmly against their own edzone.

The Cardinal’s next offensive series began with another futile attempt to run the ball as Bryce Danielson came up from his CB position and hammered a Cardinal RB behind the line of scrimmage for a 5 yard loss. Having attempted to run the ball unsuccessfully against the Birds brutal defense, the Cardinals apparently figured they’d take to the air to see if they could reverse their misfortunes throughout the first three quarters of the ball game.  Ummm… well… on their first attempt they forgot to account for Mr. Maison Ardans who absolutely their right tackle and leveled the Cardinal QB as he dropped back to pass.

The Birds stiff “D” got the ball back for the Eagles on the Cardinals side of the field as the third quarter came to a close.  the Eagles offense picked up some positive yards on runs from Beaver and Saba.  Then on 3rd Down, Coach Beaver dialed up a reverse to the fleet footed Holland who outran the Cardinal defense for the first score in regulation.  The Eagles missed the PAT, but led 6-0.  for all intents and purposes, you had to like the Eagles chances as the defense was dominating the ball game.

The Cardinals were thinking otherwise as they returned the ensuing kickoff and raced into Eagle territory with time running down in the 4th quarter.  To their credit, the Cardinals were able to find a soft spot in the Eagles defense through the air and drove the ball deep into Eagle territory. Parker Holland was all over the field making several TD saving tackles on the drive and Stephen Arvay, Wyatt Harris and Bryce Danielson made some nice plays in the secondary, but the Cardinals were able to connect when they needed to keep the drive alive and eventually scored on a well executed slant route to tie the game 6-6.  The Eagles Defense made a critical play on the extra point leaving the game deadlocked with just seconds remaining in regulation.

The Eagles opened the overtime period with the ball and wasted little time seizing control as Brad Beaver swept to the outside on a bootleg, found a seam and raced into the endzone for the go ahead touchdown.  Beaver followed that up with a QB keeper up the middle for the extra point and a 13-6 lead.

Then the Cardinals got their opportunity to tie the game up and force a second overtime.  The Eagels would have none of it. On the first play of the stanza it looked as if the Cardinal runner had a lane as he dashed to the outside.  Then out of nowhere, Parker Holland quickly closed the gap and laid the smack down on that little red & white jabroni… if you smell what the Rock is cookin’!  On third down, the Cardinal QB dropped back to pass and Javin “Buddah” Wright arrived just as the QB was releasing the ball and forced a errant pass that fell complete.

So, it came down to this… 4th down… do or die from the 7 yard line.  Dig deep boys… get ‘er done!!  Everyone in the house that day knew they were going to throw the ball.  Coach Rush had the linebackers dropping and the cornerbacks on high alert. [slow motion sequence] Hut 1, Hut 2, Hike… grunts…  [back to full speed]… wait maybe we’re still in slow motion… No, that’s Drew Ball busting up the gut with Buddah right on his tail.  Buddah gives Drew a shove as he’s lunging for the QB {queue car crash sound effect]… QB jolted but releases the ball {back to slow motion with ball sailing thru the air like wounded duck… pan in on fans with hands on heads in nervous anticipation… ball is tipped… pan to referee… whistle blows, referee signals incomplete].  Everyone goes nuts… the Eagles dump Gatorade on Coach Beaver as they celebrate on the sideline.  What a game!! To be honest… this was one of those games where you wish you could award both teams with a “W”.  What a great game by both teams.  Much respect to the Cardinals and their following and best of luck the remainder of the season.

2-0 baby… bring on the Special Forces!

And so it was… the Eagles took the field at 10:30am primed with a purpose as they stared across the gridiron at a Rattlers team with similar ambitions.  Although the Eagles had faced the Rattlers during last week’s round-robin scrimmage session and fared relatively well… the Eagles are a young team that had not yet established it’s identity.  Queue the intro music… it was as they say “On Like Donkey Kong”!

The Eagles Silver defense took to field to start the game and set the tone with a stout showing on defense.  The Rattlers looked, well… rattled as the Eagles swarmed ball carriers and wreaked havoc in the backfield.  When the Birds gained possession of the ball, they also seized possession of the lead as Josh Johnson danced and dashed his way to the endzone on a power sweep.

The Eagles Silver “D” took it to the Rattlers on the next possession as Tyler McGee, Bay Finch and Darin Elli made spectacular defensive plays to stop the Rattlers from moving the ball down field.  On the next possession Trevor Caron had an outstanding run to put the Eagles in striking distance.  On the ensuing play, Johnson again found a running lane to the outside and raced into the endzone to put the Eagles up 12-0. Triston Dalmolin bulled his way in to the endzone to capa dominating performance by the Silver team on both sides of the ball.

After a brief sideline celebration, the teams met at mid-field for the coin toss.  The Rattlers won the toss and deferred, so the Eagles took possession of the ball to start the first quarter.  The Rattlers were tough on defense and although the Eagles were moving the ball, the really did a nice job containing the Eagles power running game.  From the sideline, however, you got the sense that it was a matter of time before one of the Eagles broke into the secondary on a big run.  That person was Parker Holland.  Taking advantage of a great crack-back block from Anthony Saba, and a nice push from the left side of the line, Parker took off like a mud skipper down the sideline to give the Eagles possession near the ten yard line.  Unfortunately, the first game jitters got the Eagles on the possession as they were flagged with a penalty that halted their drive deep in Rattler territory.

The Black “D” took the field and dominated on the next possession as the first quarter came to a close.  The Eagles continued to move the ball with tough runs by Beaver, Saba, Holland, Arvay and Danielson, but untimely penalties prevented the Eagles from finishing the deal and reaching the end zone.  The Black “D” continued to assert itself in the second quarter as Mason Ardans absolutely leveled the Rattler QB on a failed pass attempt. The defensive line was routinely penetrating the Rattlers front line and the linebackers and secondary were flowing to the ball relentlessly.  It was a clinic folks. Straight up nasty defense.

Just before the half the Eagles “D” forced yet another “3 and Out” and took possession of the ball near mid field.  Coach Beaver dialed up an end around to the fleet footed and always dangerous Javin “Buddah” Wright.  Buddah juked his way into the open field and raced into the endzone for a would be go ahead touchdown.  Unfortunately, the touchdown was reversed due to a penalty.  Kind of the story of the half… the Eagles dominated, but the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 as the game reached halftime.

After a stern halftime speech from the coaches, the Eagles defense took the field to open the second half.  It was clear that they did so intent on setting the tone for the rest of the game.  Once again, Mason Ardans made a bone crushing tackle in the backfield which seemed to spark an avalanche of emotion for the rest of the defense.  On the next play, the Eagles laid a huge hit on a Rattlers ball carrier jarring the ball loose.  Drew Ball recovered the loose ball regaining possession for the Eagles near mid field.

Then… the moment we were all waiting for.  The Eagles opened their next possession with a great run by QB Brad Beaver on a bootleg. The left side of the offensive line dominated most of the game, but really played on another level in the second half.  After a couple of tough runs up the middle by Saba and Holland, Stephen Arvay took a pitch to the left and then with great vision deftly cut back against the grain and outran Rattler defenders to put the Eagles ahead 6-0 in the third quarter.

[Insert broken record]… the Eagles D dominated the Rattlers again and regained possession of the ball.  The next Eagle possession featured tough, tough runs by Danielson and Holland that placed the Eagles in scoring position as the third quarter drew to a close.  Sprung by a nice crack-back block by Anthony Saba and great blocking by the offensive line, Holland took a pitch from Beaver and outran the Ratters defense for a 12-0 lead.  The way the Eagles were playing on defense, this game appeared to be in the bag.  Ahem… game ain’t over till it’s over folks.

On the next possession, the Rattlers fumbled an exchange in the backfield.  It looked as though the Eagles were going to smack the Rattlers with yet another negative play.  Then out of nowhere, the Rattler RB grabbed the ball and got to the sideline.  The Eagles hustled and brought him down near the 5 yard line.  The Eagles rushed their black defense onto the field in an attempt to prevent the score, but the Rattlers executed a fantastic counter play to draw within six points, 12-6.  The extra point was stuffed, but suddenly we had ourselves a ball game.

With time running down, the Eagles knew that if they maintained possession they could run the clock out and win the game.  To their credit, the Rattlers played tough “D” and forced a 3 and Out.  The Eagles defense again took the field looking to put the game on ice.  Mason Ardans made two fantastic plays on defense in a row.  On 3rd and long, Chris Galloway busted thru the line and met the Rattler QB as he attempted a pass.  The hit forced the ball up in the air… and into the waiting arms of Wyatt “Playmaka” Harris for the interception.

The Eagles offense took the field and were stymied on first and second down and faced a critical 3rd and long situation.  Brad Beaver kept the ball on a bootleg and ran like a man possessed as he carried would be Rattler tackles beyond the sticks to earn a crucial fresh set of downs for the Eagles.  The Eagles dialed up another end around to Javin Wright on the next set of downs setting up the Eagles deep in Rattler territory.  Stephen Arvay then took a handoff off-tackle, stopped on a dime and cut across the field for his second touchdown of the game.

All in all it was an impressive showing for the Eagles.  They showed grit, determination and focus after shaking off a dominant, yet unproductive first half on the offensive side of the ball.  The defense was stout all day long and really brought it for four quarters.  The Eagles face the Cardinals at 10:30am on Saturday 9/12 at Queen Creek Middle School.  The Cardinals dropped their opener 14-0 to the Special Forces.  The other JPW matchup, the Rams dismantled the Six Shooters 25-0 to move to 1-0 on the season.

The PeeWee Eagles took it to the Rattlers 26-0 and the Mighty Might Eagles bested the Rattlers 27-0 Tuesday night.  Great week for the Eagles club!

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!!

Having made it through the first week of practice, the Birds are at it again in what looks to be another promising year for the club.  The boys have been running their butts off and sweating like dogs in a Chinese restaurant as they prepare for the upcoming season.

I’ve personally been focusing on the Jr. Pee Wee team as my son Drew plays on that team, but I’ve certainly taken notice of the Mighty Mights and Pee Wees as they drag various objects across the football field.  I couldn’t help but think of the grueling training scenes in Rocky IV when Rock was training in a barn out in the middle of nowhere. (queue Eye of the Tiger)

Practice resumes Monday after a well deserved weekend rest for the club.  Keep driving boys… your rewards await you.