Sullivan Football Sweeps Pacific Indians, 27-7

The Eagles soared over Pacific with a 27-7 sweep, thanks to three rushing touchdowns by Franky Erxleben. After the game, they held a 4-1 record and are now set to face Hermann for Homecoming on Friday, Sep. 29.

Sullivan was coming off its only loss so far to St. Clair, while Pacific was seeking their second win, with their first being against the same Bulldogs.

The Eagles started the game neck-and-neck with the Indians as they struggled to move the chains. Sullivan’s passes continued to get deflected and rushes were stomped out by the Indians. An interception by Eagles quarterback Robert York II late in the first quarter made Sullivan realize that victory was inching farther away.

In the second half, the team found their rhythm and breezed through the Indians. The Eagles implemented tight coverage on the receivers and a stronghold on the rushing game, leading to Pacific turning the ball over on a few fourth-down attempts.

On his team’s halftime improvement, head coach Eddie Haar explained, “Offensively, we were able to clean up some things up front and get our ground game going. Defensively, we tackled much better.”

Erxleben broke through the Indians’ defense for three touchdowns and a total of 250 rushing yards, his highest so far this season.

The other touchdown was caught by tight end Colton Brendel for a 29-yard reception. He had 70 receiving yards on 2 catches.

York threw for 131 passing yards, one touchdown and rushed for 44 yards.

Defensive back Seth Valley made a crucial interception and also had a 12-yard reception as wide receiver.

Dominic Ransom had 18 receiving yards, Curtis Rall came away with 15, Mark Jennings caught for 10 and Erxleben for 6.

For rushing, Ransom picked up 25 yards, Jeremiah Rodriguez 20, Jennings collected 13 and Dayton Skaggs 7.

With 5:20 left in the first quarter, Erxleben picked up his first score of the evening on a 72-yard rushing touchdown. He cut through the inside of Pacific’s defensive line, outpacing the Indians as he reached the end zone.

Pacific tied the game later in the half at 7-7 when Luke Miley pushed through Sullivan’s defensive line, extending his arm over the end-zone line to score.

With 12 seconds left in the second quarter, the Eagles took over possession and drove down the field to take a 14-7 lead before halftime. On 4th and 10, York miraculously threw a 39-yard pass to Brendel, who leaped over the Indians and ran into the end zone.

The second half kicked off with Pacific attempting a flea flicker, but Valley outsmarted the Indians and easily caught the interception.

Pacific’s momentum was slowly crashing and Erxleben did not allow them to catch their breath as he picked up a 15-yard touchdown to boost Sullivan’s score to 21-7.

Erxleben concluded his outstanding performance by picking up Sullivan’s final score with an 83-yard run, with nobody from Pacific able to catch up to him.