Eagles get back on track vs. Rebels
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COLUMBIANA - The United Eagles and the Crestview Rebels came into Friday's contest with different perspectives. The Eagles looked to bounce back after a disappointing loss, while the Rebels wanted to build on a solid victory last week.
The Eagles responded with a hard-fought 31-14 win over the Rebels to get back on track and improve to 2-1 on the season. It also snapped a 2-game losing streak to the Rebels in their series.
"It was a huge win because it was on the road and Crestview is always good," Eagles head coach DJ Ogilvie remarked. "After a disappointing loss last week, our kids bounced back and responded."
With the loss, the Rebels fall to 1-2 on the year. It is the first time the Rebels have been below .500 since the start of the 2023 season.
"We just can't make mistakes. They are a well-coached team, and we came out ready to play, but we didn't execute at times. Too many turnovers and too many penalties," Rebels head coach Dom Perry said.
It was the Rebels’ turnovers that the opportunistic Eagles took advantage of in pulling away from the Rebels. The Rebels fumbled three times and threw two interceptions to provide the Eagles with additional scoring chances.
"Unbelievable," Ogilvie said. "Our defense played great in getting five turnovers is a great tribute to coach Phillips and what they stress on defense."
However, it was the Rebels who appeared ready to make it a runaway as they marched 63 yards in 6 plays to score on a 2-yard run by Trevor McElhaney to give them a 7-0 lead. That score came just 1:56 into the contest.
But the Eagles answered two possessions later when quarterback Thomas Brown connected with Jordan Kidder on a 65-yard touchdown pass over the middle of the field. That tied the contest at 7-7 at the 5:21 mark of the first quarter.
"We can throw the ball," Ogilvie said. "We have some good receivers and maybe I don't utilize them enough. But when we do throw the ball, we need to punish the defense. We have been able to do that to some degree so far this year."
Following two consecutive possessions that the Rebels turned the ball over on an interception and a fumble, their defense came up with two big stops of the Eagles offense in their territory at the 25 and the 19-yard line.
Finally, when the Rebels failed to convert a fourth-and-one play at their own 35, the Eagles capitalized on a 3-yard run by M'Kyan Haynes to grab a 14-7 advantage with just 1:53 remaining in the first half.
Once again, the Rebels demonstrated an impressive offensive drive to start the second half as they went 78 yards on 11 plays with quarterback Braydon Meier hitting Hayden Davis on an 8-yard toss to knot the game at 14-14 with 3:58 left in the third quarter.
"I think we did some things alright. The defense played hard; they were just on the field all night. We ran the ball okay, and Braydon Meier threw the ball well. So we are going to build on that and get back at it," Perry remarked.
With the game tied and entering the fourth quarter, the Rebels committed three of their five turnovers in the final 11:44 minutes. A fumble at their own 37 provided the Eagles with a 34-yard field goal by Liam Jones to give the Eagles a 17-14 lead with 9:04 remaining in the contest.
"Turnovers were the key to the ballgame, and we got Tommy and M'Kyan on track finally," Ogilvie said. An interception four plays later led to the Eagles scoring on a 20-yard run by Haynes with 2:17 left in the game, followed by a 16-yard run by Haynes after the Rebels fumbled on the kickoff from the first score. Haynes’s second touchdown run came with only 2:03 remaining in the contest.
"We needed momentum, and it's a lot better to be 2 and 1. And that's a lot better than 1 and 2," Ogilvie said. The Eagles return to the gridiron next Friday when they host the Columbiana Clippers in an important EOAC battle. The Rebels will also open league play next Friday when they host the Liberty Leopards in an important MVAC contest.
UNITED:7-7-0-17 -- 31
CRESTVIEW:7-0-7-0 -- 14
SCORING
C - Trevor McElhaney 2 run (Danny Novak kick)
U - Jordan Kidder 65 pass from Thomas Brown (Liam Jones kick)
U - M'Kyan Haynes 3 run (Jones kick) C - Hayden Davis 8 pass from Braydon Meier (Novak kick) U - Jones 34 field goal U - Haynes 20 run (Jones kick)
U - Haynes 16 run (Jones kick)
TEAM STATS
UNITED
First downs: 13; Total yards: 277; Rushes-yards: 41-151, Passing: 126; Comp-Att-Int. 4-7-1; Punts 2-34; Fumbles-Lost 0-0; Penalties-Yards 5-31.
CRESTVIEW
First downs: 17, Total yards: 328, Rushes-yards: 28-152, Passing: 176; Comp-Att-Int. 21-27-2, Punts 0-0, Fumbles-Lost 4-3, Penalties-Yards 8-80.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING--United, M'Kyan Haynes 22-99, Thomas Brown 19-47; Crestview, Trevor McElhaney 24-137.
PASSING--United, Thomas Brown 4-7-1; Crestview, Brayden Meier 21-27-2.
RECEIVING--United, Jordan Kidder 1-65, M'Kyan Haynes 1-31; Crestview, Brady Barnhart 7-74, Hayden Davis 7-42, Dylan Stoffer 3-38, Josh Smith 3-19.
INTERCEPTIONS--United, Dom Wilson, Thomas Brown; Crestview, Wyatt Wise. FUMBLE RECOVERIES--United, Jacob Burton, Zach Graffius, Kota Shasteen.