The Eagles saw their losing streak reach three games in varsity football action on Friday, suffering a 50-35 loss to visiting Kelseyville in a shootout at Allen Memorial Stadium.
The setback dropped Cloverdale to 1-3 in league and 2-5 on the season.
“It was another tough loss,” Eagle’s head coach Greg Alexander said. “Offensively, we did some very good things and spread the ball around to all five of our skill position players. The reality is we haven’t had a defensive stop in two weeks. Until we decide to pursue and run to the football we’ll be giving up large numbers to opposing offenses.”
Cloverdale will try to right the ship this Friday, Oct. 18 when it entertains Clear Lake in the annual Homecoming Game.
The Cardinals (1-3, 2-5) enter the game with an identical record, having defeated Fort Bragg in a 36-14 rout on Oct. 11. This Friday’s clash looks like an even match-up on two teams badly in need of a victory to keep any remaining playoff hopes alive.
“The bottom line for us is we need to run to the ball and tackle, if we don’t we will lose,” Alexander noted. “If we do run to the ball and tackle we’ll be in a spot to come out with a win.”
Knights win a shootout
Friday’s home clash with Kelseyville was an offensive showcase, with the teams combining for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense.
The Eagles dug themselves an early hole, spotting the Knights a 22-7 lead before their offense got rolling to cut the deficit to 22-20 at the half.
Cloverdale answered another Kelseyville touchdown with an 80-yard strike from quarterback Colby Furia to Jesus Maciel, tying the contest at 28-all with a successful two-point conversion pass from Furia to Diego Duarte. It proved to be the high point of the night for the Eagles, as the visitors reeled off three straight touchdowns to put the game out of reach en route to an eventual, 50-35 victory.
Furia turned in a game for the ages, rushing for one touchdown while completing a career-high 28 passes on 47 attempts for 415 yards. The junior signal-caller connected on scoring strikes to receivers Jesus Maciel (2), Dylan Scaramella and Logan Axell.
“I don’t know if records have been kept here but I have to imagine that 415 yards would break the single game passing record here at Cloverdale,” Alexander noted.
