Football wins come in all shapes and sizes, with some a thing of beauty while others fall into a different category. One thing is certain — at the end of the year they all count.
The varsity football Eagles notched one of the latter in the league opener on Sept. 24 at Fort Bragg, claiming a 42-0 rout over the Wolverines for their third season victory.
“We came away with a sloppy win, but a win nonetheless,” Eagle’s head coach Greg Alexander said. “It’s never easy going to Fort Bragg and getting a win, but we were very sloppy and undisciplined throughout the game.”
Cloverdale (3-0) will move on to the next challenge – a Friday, Oct. 1 visit to Willits. The Wolverines (0-4, 0-1) remain winless on the season following a 28-6 loss to St. Helena on Friday.
“Against Willits we need to have better focus and execution,” Alexander noted. “Willits’ offense utilizes a lot of motions and misdirection so the key for us this week defensively is going to be having good eye discipline and not watching the backfield action and reading our keys. On offense we need to sustain blocks and drives and stay ahead of the chains,” he added.
Eagles run roughshod
Cloverdale put on a rushing clinic in Friday’s trip to Fort Bragg, with the offensive line opening holes for the Eagle’s running backs The Eagles took full control of the line of scrimmage, with several clock eating drives effectively keeping the Fort Bragg defense on the field and the Timberwolves off the scoreboard. The Cloverdale defensive unit recorded its first shutout of the campaign.
Despite their team’s overall dominance, the Cloverdale brain-trust saw plenty of room for improvement going forward.
“We made a bunch of mental mistakes that led to penalties, which have been uncharacteristic of us thus far this year,” Alexander noted, before adding, “We made a lot of big plays which led to touchdowns.”
The Cloverdale offense churned up a whopping 400 yards rushing in the game, a season high to date. Leading ground gainers included; Dylan Muller (10-289 yards rushing, 3 TDs), Diesel Cavallo (9-89 yards rushing, TD), Edgardo Ruiz (8-15 yards rushing) and Ayal Fitchelberg (2-7 yards rushing).
Quarterback Caden Axell completed three of five pass attempts for 36 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Leading receivers were Muller (1-25 yards, TD), Fitchelberg (1-12 yards) and Cavallo (1-9 yards).
