11/8 Eagle Report
District play began for the Sullivan Eagles football team this past Friday against the formidable Union Wildcats, a team Sullivan defeated 34-27 in Week 3 of the regular season. Defeating a team once is always impressive, but beating a team twice in the same season is always a benchmark.
The focus beforehand was all on No. 27 for Sullivan and rightfully so. Senior Franky Erxleben has exhibited pure leadership during his team’s run toward the Class 4 District 2 Championship. His reputation precedes him before recent games, but his fundamentals are on show for everyone to see on every play. Franky is a tough runner, but he always starts off with two hands on the ball, something a lot of younger players could take a lesson from.
Despite Union having a pretty good idea of who was going to be running the offensive show for the Eagles, the Wildcats were able to do little to stop Erxleben as he was able to achieve over 100 yard rushing in the first half before breaking through for 270 yards altogether this past Friday night.
Senior Colton Brendel played with his normal baseline of intensity, offensively, defensively and emotionally. His disruption of plays didn’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet but contributed greatly to the defensive stranglehold Sullivan were able to establish early in the game.
Exceptional play came from Seth Valley, who was able to intercept two passes from the dangerous Union quarterback Conner Curnutte. Valley was a menace in the secondary that made Curnutte think twice about his passes, ultimately dooming the Union passing attack in the second half.
Sullivan quarterback Robert York, II was confident in his decision making, both rushing and passing the ball, something that is peaking at the right time of the season for the Eagles. Still seeking to be a quarterback of consistent progression and multiple looks, York has been able to use his dual-threat ability to keep opposing defenses guessing as to Sullivan’s offensive plan.
The primary difference in this game from that classic contest in Week 3 was the Sullivan offensive line. Tackles and guards visibly exploded in the first two rushing plays of the night, helping to establish a tone that Union wouldn’t be able to change on the night.
The other aspect of success not on the stat sheet is the high-level play of sophomore Chase Blue. His presence, especially on the defensive end, is helping Brendel spread out a little less and allowing Erxleben and Dayton Skaggs to patrol that second layer of the defense with more attention.
Sullivan were able to secure a well-deserved 30-7 win at the end of the fourth quarter against Union, capping off a great series against their northern neighbor that will sting for the Wildcats for some time to come. But Sullivan will now prepare for the No. 2 seed Pacific Indians this Friday November 10 at 7 p.m., another team that they also defeated during the regular season. Coach Eddie Haar will have his squad properly prepared for playing this outfit for the second time.