It was a tough ending to a long season for the Eagles in the league football finale against Lower Lake on Nov. 4, as the visiting Trojans utilized a stingy defense and a handful of big plays to power past Cloverdale, 35-0.
The loss gave the Eagles a final league mark of 2-6 and 2-8 on the year.
In many ways Friday’s game was a microcosm of the Eagles’ season, with a few key plays spoiling an otherwise strong effort.
“Our focus was a rollercoaster ride,” CHS head coach Chad Talley said later. “The effort was there – we continued to fight and compete – but Lower Lake made some big plays to turn the game in their favor.”
Things started well enough for the Eagles in a hard-fought first half, as the Trojans mustered just a touchdown and a safety for an 8-0 lead in the second quarter.
But disaster struck with three seconds left in the half when the visitors converted an 18-yard touchdown pass on fourth and long, followed by a successful 2-point conversion to make it 16-0 at the break.
The air went out of Allen Stadium just after halftime when the Trojans took the second-half kickoff and raced 85 yards to the house. Lower Lake would add another pair of rushing touchdowns in the quarter to open up a commanding lead en route to an eventual 35-0 win.
Team, league notes
Cloverdale paid tribute to graduating seniors Kevin Scalabrini, Tristen Rege, Pat Ojeda, Nick Marrone, Christian Robertson, Nick Olszewski, Riley Doyle and David Villavicencio in a halftime ceremony on Friday.
The Eagles will take a short break this month before beginning an ambitious off-season training regimen.
“Starting in December our guys will be working hard in the weight room to improve their strength and stamina,” Talley said. “I didn’t have much time to work with the kids when I took over as head coach so it will be a big advantage to be around for a full off-season.”
Cloverdale was represented in All-League voting by coaches this week, with senior Tristen Rege and junior James Wirt being named to the Honorable Mention squad for offense and defense respectively.
