Eagles Football Gear Up For Season Opener After Jamboree Performance

By Wyatt Hardy

The Sullivan Eagles football team played its final scrimmage of the summer on Friday when they hosted Herculaneum, Jefferson R-7, Salem, Cuba and St. James at the jamboree. Each team ran 12 plays of offense and defense against each other.

Sullivan mixed in both varsity and junior varsity players. The Eagles faced Salem, Jefferson R-7 and Herculaneum. They are now heading into their regular season opener at Northwest (Cedar Hill) on Friday.

In total, Sullivan made three touchdowns, coming from Robert York II, Mark Jennings and Chase Blue. They scored against Salem but struggled to replicate the same success against Jefferson and Herculaneum. Head coach Eddie Haar wants to see the Eagles make more trips to the end zone, claiming, “We need to play much more consistent on the offensive side of the football.” Like last year, Sullivan’s games will be determined by how their rushing game performs.

Salem was the only team able to score a touchdown against Sullivan’s tough defense. The Eagles held up a fearsome defensive line against rushers and batted away balls from the receivers. Defensive back Dominic Ransom, linebacker Franky Erxleben, lineman Jeremiah Rodriguez, lineman Kane Strehl and rookie linebacker Chase Blue were forces to be reckoned with.

“We have a lot of returning starters and know what to expect out of them. We were really excited to see some of our younger kids out there; Blue had a really good day [on] the defensive side of the ball,” Haar said about his team.

Salem

The opening scrimmage saw Salem wide receiver Jamal Metcalf break loose for an electrifying 30-yard touchdown. It was a wake-up call to the Eagles and they began to successfully shut down every rush afterward, led by key tackles from players like Blue and Erxleben. Ransom also made a game-changing play by deflecting a pass from quarterback Kaden DuBois in the end zone.

Sullivan’s play-making offense then shook the field with three scores against the Salem Tigers. New starting quarterback York, who will be taking over the reins from Gabe Dace, quickly scrambled for their first touchdown of the night. Then running backs Mark Jennings and Blue picked up points on back-to-back 40-yard sweeps.

Jefferson R-7

Next up was the clash between Jefferson R-7 and Sullivan. The Blue Jays had some issues with snaps and fumbles, which disrupted their rhythm. Blue and Rodriguez continued to make impressive tackles.

The Eagles also struggled to make offensive progress against Jefferson. York made a couple of overthrows due to intense pass coverage and the team had trouble marching across the field to the end zone.

Herculaneum

In the final match up, Sullivan’s defense stepped up once more against Herculaneum. A sack and a fumble recovery added to the domination, with Grant Halmick and Blue making crucial stops on rushes. Sullivan even disrupted a screen pass and Ethan Cook recorded an impressive sack.

The Eagles again encountered mixed offensive success. Rodriguez and Ransom had their moments with some successful runs. However, Herculaneum’s defense caused a fumble later on and Sullivan still could not recreate the same spark they had against Salem earlier.

Haar wants to see improvement before their season opener, stating, “We really need to focus on our mistakes from the jamboree and correct them for Northwest.” On Friday at 7 p.m., the Sullivan Eagles will have their first regular-season match against the Lions at Northwest High School in Cedar Hill.