The varsity football Eagles notched their most important road win of the fall campaign on Nov. 1, pulling out a wild, 42-27 victory over Fort Bragg.
The win lifted the Eagles into third place in the NCL-1 standings, and put the team squarely in the hunt for a coveted North Coast Section playoff berth.
Cloverdale (4-2, 4-5) will close out the league season this Friday, Nov. 8 when it visits St. Helena. The second-place Saints (5-1, 7-2) are riding a three-game win streak and are fresh off a 60-0 romp over Willits last week.
After starting the season at 0-4, the Eagles are a good bet to land a spot in the postseason when the NCS seeding committee meets on Sunday to fill out the Division-5 bracket.
Eagles high-flying offense   Â
Fort Bragg had no answer for the high-octane Cloverdale attack on Friday, as Eagles quarterback Josh Holden directed a first-quarter drive resulting in a two-yard scoring burst by running back Luke Bernardi. Luis Gutierrez added the PAT kick and Cloverdale led 7-0.
Tied at 7-7 in the second quarter, the Eagles re-took the lead when Holden found receiver Greg Scaramella on a 30-yard scoring strike for a 14-7 advantage. The Wolverines return-man Zach Smith took the ensuing kickoff and raced 70 yards to the house to knot the score at 14-all at the half.
The Eagles gained separation in the decisive third period, as Gutierrez hauled in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Holden. Cloverdale answered another Wolverines score with a six-yard touchdown scamper by Holden, followed by a 27-yard scoring jaunt from Bernardi to open up a 35-20 lead at the end of three.
The Eagles iced the contest in the fourth quarter when Bernardi scored on a 15-yard bolt for his third touchdown of the game en route to a 42-27 win.
