While the victory over Alva one week ago was great, it was extremely costly on the personnel side, with six Eagles, five of which are starters on both offense and defense, coming away from that game injured and unable to take the field in Friday’s home finale versus the #4 Ranked, undefeated, Oklahoma Christian School Saints (9-0, 6-0). That depleted staff, on an already thin roster, made the preparation for this week’s game difficult, and the expectation of victory slim. But these Eagles, with their “next man up” mentality, took that challenge and took the field not backing down one single play. In the end, the non-public Saints, with twice the numbers on the sideline, and more talent on the field, took the District win 42-14.
The Eagles gave up 6 Touchdowns in the first half, 4 on the ground following sustained drives, 1 on a 19 Yard Blocked Punt Return, and another on a 99 Yard Interception Return when the Eagles were about to get their first TD nearing the end of the 1st half. Hennessey got their scoring started after halftime with a (#2) Weston Smith Fumble Recovery in the end zone on the Saints first play in the 3rd. (#1) Sebastian Gonzalez got the Eagles final score with a 1 Yard dive and a 2-point conversion pass to Weston in the 4th.
Gonzalez finished the game Passing for 108 Yards on 9 Completions with the 1 Interception (only his 4th this season), and 21 Yards with 1 Touchdown Rushing. (#36) Keigen Crites was held to only 29 Yards Rushing on 12 Carries, with 2 Catches for 12 Yards out of the backfield. Crites added 4 Tackles and 1 Fumble Recovery on Defense. (#9) Nyk Snyder had 3 offensive touches, with 2 Receptions for 6 Yards and 1 Run of 17, while leading the team in tackles with 6.
Weston Smith earned his 3rd MaxPreps Player of the Game Award this season, and 4th in two years, for his play in all 3 phases of the game – Offense, Defense, and Special Teams – leading the team with 64 Yards Receiving, 2 Kickoff Returns totaling over 40 Yards, 1 Interception return, and 1 Fumble Recovery Touchdown. The Sophomore now leads the team in Defensive INT’s (3), 2nd in Scoring (50), and 2nd in All-Purpose Yards (740), with 1 game to play in the Regular Season.
That ‘1 game to play in the Regular Season will determine the fate of this team and their advancement into the 2021 Oklahoma Class 2A Football Playoffs. The Eagles will play at the Luther Lions next Friday night, November 5th, with everything on the line. OCS, Luther, and Perry have all wrapped up 1, 2, and 3, with Hennessey, Blackwell, and Alva still in the hunt for the #4 seed. Blackwell plays at Oklahoma Christian. Alva at Chisholm.
The Playoff scenario breaks down like this (as this writer is to understand):
Blackwell is in with a Win v. OCS or an Alva Loss to Chisholm.
Hennessey is in with a Win or a Loss of no more than -7 Pts to Luther, if Alva Wins by +15 and Blackwell Loses.
Alva is in with a Win +15 and a Hennessey Loss greater than -8, and a Blackwell Loss of -2 or greater.
Clear as mud? As the old saying goes, “Just win, baby.” Just win.
The kickoff in Luther next Friday is at 7:00 pm.
-EagleVoice – Photos by Adriana Gonzalez
