The varsity football Eagles continued to navigate a treacherous NCL-1 schedule on Sept. 30 in the annual Homecoming Game against Kelseyville, as the visiting Knights exploited a mistake-prone Cloverdale offense to spoil the party, 32-13.
It was the second straight home loss for the Eagles, who fell 1-3 in the league and 1-5 on the season.
“We’ve had a tendency to come out flat in the first half of our games and by the time we start turning it on, the damage has already been done,” CHS head coach Chad Talley said. “It’s a matter of focus and playing four quarters of football.”
Things won’t get easier for Cloverdale this week, as they begin a three-game road swing on Friday, Oct. 7 at Middletown. The Mustangs (3-0, 3-2) retained the top spot in the league standings with a 48-0 romp over St. Vincent on Sept. 30 and will bring a three-game win streak into the clash with the Eagles.
“From what I’ve seen of Middletown is that they’re a mirror image of our team in many ways, but the difference is in focus and effort,” Talley noted. “They go hard on every single play, and that’s something we have to learn to do.”
Turnovers ground Eagles
Friday’s meeting with Kelseyville was the perfect storm of sorts, as the opportunistic Knights recorded six quarterback sacks and forced a whopping eight turnovers, several of which came with the Eagles driving downfield.
Kelseyville jumped on top early, scoring a barrage of first-half touchdowns that included a pair of 1-yard runs and passes of 9 and 5 yards. The Eagles got on the scoreboard with a touchdown pass from quarterback James Wirt to receiver BJ Grady, but the Knights led 26-7 at the half.
The teams traded a pair of touchdowns in a defensive second half, including another touchdown strike from Wirt to Ross Sceales, but a late Kelseyville touchdown would lift the Knights to an eventual 32-13 win.
