Eagles at Lower Lake Friday in season finale
The Eagles took their lumps in varsity football action on Friday, falling to a strong visiting Clear Lake squad, 34-13.
The loss pushed the Eagles’ league mark to 1-4 and 2-6 on the season.
“We seemed to take a step back from our effort versus Middletown,” CHS head coach Chad Talley said. “We were lacking in effort and execution and most of our big plays were off of our quarterback scrambling when he was under pressure.”
Cloverdale will wrap up the 2017 campaign this Friday, Nov. 3 when they travel to take on Lower Lake. Kickoff times for the JV and varsity are 5 and 7:30 p.m.
The Trojans (5-1, 7-1) are riding a three-game winning streak, including a 57-0 rout over St. Vincent on Friday.
Sub-par effort grounds Eagles
The Eagles celebrated Senior Night on Friday, paying tribute to graduating veterans James Wirt, BJ Grady, Ross Sceales, Eli Arreola, Christian Chavez, Mel Alonso, Alex Segobiano, Joey Marrufo, Will Foley, Brandon Nicholson, Ray Sayago and Danny Valencia.
The added emotion did not transfer to the field, where the Cardinals never trailed in the game. Clear Lake jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead and took a 21-7 advantage into the fourth quarter before the Eagles got on the board.
Cloverdale found paydirt on a pair of touchdown runs, the first a 12-yard burst by John Wesele, followed by a 15-yard scamper from BJ Grady, but the Cardinals hung on to notch a 34-13 win.
Wirt finished with seven completions on 21 pass attempts for 124 yards, while rushing for 95 yards on eight carries. Other top offensive players were Chavez (5-92 yards receiving), Wesele (13-50 yards rushing, TD) and Grady (1-15 yards, TD).
Grady and Wesele led the team defensively with six tackles apiece, while Arreola, Chavez and Cesar Buenrostro each pulled down an interception.
JV comeback falls short
The Eagles JV squad staged a wild one on Friday against visiting Clear Lake, spotting the Cardinals a 20-0 third quarter lead. The big deficit served as a wake-up call for Cloverdale, which mounted a furious rally that included three touchdowns in the game’s final 12 minutes. The Cinderella comeback would fall just short, as the Cardinals regrouped to hang on for a 26-21 victory.
Outstanding offensive players for the Eagles included Chuche Maciel, Logan Axell, Diego Duarte and Shayne Turner. Leading the defensive charge were Josh Lemely, Anthonie Rebotarro and Andy Calderon.
